[6] During Operation Barras in Sierra Leone, soldiers from 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment were deployed alongside troops from the SBS and D Squadron, Special Air Service (SAS).

[8] The SFSG's formation was announced officially by the then Secretary of State for Defence John Reid in Parliament on 20 April 2006.

[2] It was established to support British special forces units in battle overseas and on domestic "counter-terrorist" operations.

The UKSF team was inserted by helicopters from the 160th SOAR, the SBS assaulted the safehouse whilst the SFSG set up a cordon.

[22] In August 2013, The Daily Telegraph reported that the SFSG, worked hand-in-hand with an elite unit of Afghan commandos, known as Task Force 444, throughout Helmand Province.

Also the unit targeted insurgent supply lines in the desert near the border with Pakistan, and Taliban bases in the centre of the province.

A relatively recent (2018) restructuring of the SFSG has resulted in the creation of R Coy, which is configured as the unit's ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance) and communications specialists.

There is also a RAF Regiment CBRN unit assigned to the SFSG to provide specialised knowledge and capability to military and civilian agencies in detection and handling of chemical, biological, and radiological/nuclear weapons and materials.