Kopassus


The Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering and special reconnaissance. Kopassus was founded by Alexander Evert Kawilarang and Mochammad Idjon Djanbi on 16 April 1952. It gained worldwide attention after several operations such as the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and the release of hostages from Garuda Indonesia Flight 206.
The special forces spearheaded some of the government's military campaigns: putting down regional rebellions in the late 1950s, Operation Trikora in 1961–1962, the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation from 1962 to 1966, the massacres of alleged communists in 1965, the East Timor invasion in 1975, and subsequent campaigns against separatists in various provinces.
Kopassus has been reported by national and international media, human rights-affiliated NGOs and researchers to have committed violations of human rights in East Timor, Aceh, Papua and Java. In 2019, the United States announced that it would conduct a combined exercise training with Kopassus in 2020. The US had ended links with Kopassus in 1999 as the Leahy Law banned assistance to foreign military units with a history of human rights violations until those responsible are prosecuted. Kopassus has introduced internal reforms and undertaken human rights courses with the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 2018, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he wanted to lift the ban as Kopassus had reformed and removed human rights abusive soldiers. In response, Senator Patrick Leahy said Mattis needs to establish whether Kopassus has punished officers and is today "accountable to the rule of law". Human Rights Watch criticised plans to lift the ban as Kopassus officers had not been prosecuted.

History

On 15 April 1952, Colonel Alexander Evert Kawilarang began to form Kesatuan Komando Tentara Territorium III/Siliwangi, the early name of Kopassus and the basis for this historic special forces unit.
Not long after, Colonel Kawilarang with the use of military intelligence located and met with Idjon Djanbi—a former member of the Dutch Special Forces who had remained in newly independent Indonesia, settled in West Java, married an Indonesian woman, and was known locally as Mochammad Idjon Djanbi. He was the first recruit for the Indonesian special forces, as well as its first commander. Due to him, the unit which later became Kopassus wear red berets instead of the distinctive green beret.
At that time, Indonesia's special force name was Kesatuan Komando Tentara Territorium / Kesko TT). Kopassus was the final result of five name changes: Kesko TT, KKAD, RPKAD, Puspassus and Kopassandha. The first generation of this force was only around a hundred soldiers or one company, headquartered in Bandung. Among its pioneer instructors was a young veteran of the Indonesian National Revolution, future Minister of Defense Leonardus Benjamin Moerdani, who later became a battalion commander and later led his paratroopers to crush the two twin rebellions in 1957–58 by the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia and Permesta.
As the RPKAD, a name used in the 1960s, and expanded into a three-battalion special forces airborne regiment, the force was involved in the widespread killings during General Suharto's rise to power. An estimated half-a million people were killed in the anti-communist purge with strong communal overtones.
The RPKAD was involved in wiping out entire villages such as Kesiman in Bali, many of them in beach areas which later becomes major tourist resorts.
The unit also saw action during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation when in 1965, Indonesia launched a war for control of North Borneo during Malaysian independence, particularly in the Battle of Sungei Koemba..
One of the unit's most notable operations was Operation Woyla in March 1981, when a Garuda Indonesia aircraft was hijacked by five members of Komando Jihad. After a four-day standoff in Thailand, a Kopassandha team led by Lt. Col. Sintong Panjaitan stormed the plane and freed the hostages in about three minutes. The pilot Herman Rante and Kopassus officer Lt. Ahmad Kirang were killed in the rescue.
Another notable operation was Mapenduma hostage crisis in January 1996, when 26 members of the Lorentz 95 Expedition were taken hostage by OPM. As commandant general of Kopassus, Prabowo Subianto led the mission. Most hostages were freed, although three died during the rescue.
In later decades, Kopassus continued to participate in military and security operations. In 2017, the unit deployed personnel to protect the Indonesian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Kopassus marked its golden jubilee in 2002, commemorating fifty years since the establishment of its earliest predecessor.

Organization

Kopassus organizational structure is different from the infantry units of the wider Army in general, inclusive of the Kostrad. Although Kopassus members generally are selected from the general Army Infantry, Kopassus maintains a different organizational structure from the rest.
Kopassus units intentionally do not use the nomenclature of standard infantry units. This is apparent in their units called Groups. With this unit, Kopassus can deploy a brigade plus size, or fewer.
Until 2025, five brigade level groups under Kopassus existed which are:
  • Special Forces Training and Education Center – located in Batujajar, West Java.
  • Group 1 Para Commandos. Headquarters at Kartasura, Central Java.
  • Group 2 Para Commandos. Headquarters at Serang, Banten, to be relocated to Surakarta, Central Java.
  • Group 4 Para Commandos/Sandi Yudha. Headquarters originally at Cijantung, Jakarta, HQ and part of the brigade being relocated to Penajam, East Kalimantan.
  • SAT-81 Gultor Counter-terrorism Group. Headquarters at Cijantung, Jakarta.
3 more para commando Groups were activated in 2025, and current Group 4 is already in the process of removing its intelligence role with the ongoing raising of the Sandi Yudha Combat Intelligence Unit, making a total of 8 brigades and two regiments under its order of battle. The new groups are:
  • Group 3 Para Commandos, HQ in Dumai, Riau
  • Group 5 Para Commandos, HQ in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi
  • Group 6 Para Commandos, HQ in Timika, Central Papua
Except for Pusdikpassus, which serves as the training and education component of Kopassus, other Groups have combat oriented operational functions. Each Group is organized into an HQ and a set number of special operations battalions.

Group 1 Para Commandos

Group 1 Para Commandos is a unit of Brigade level which is part of the Army Special Forces Command and was established on 23 March 1963. The group was first commanded by the Major L.B. Moerdani. The unit's motto known as Dhuaja is, then created by Corporal Suyanto. The unit's internal organization consists of the group headquarters and six line battalions which are the following:
  1. 11th Battalion / "Atulo Sena Bhaladhika"
  2. 12th Battalion / "Asabha Sena Baladhika"
  3. 13th Battalion / "Thikkaviro Sena Bhaladhika"
  4. 14th Battalion / "Bhadrika Sena Bhaladhika"
  5. 15th Battalion / Brahmastra Sena Baladika
  6. 16th Battalion / "Sahasa Sena Baladika"
Each battalion consists of 3 companies. Each company is broken into 3 platoons, each of which consisted of 39 people. And each platoon consists of 3 small units called a squad of 10 men. The 1st Group, with its current 6 battalions, was for many years the largest brigade of the Kopassus.

Group 2 Para Commandos

Group 2 Para Commando is a unit of Brigade level, which is part of the Army Special Forces Command and was established in 1962. The group was first commanded by Major Soegiarto. The unit's motto is. The unit's internal organization are as follows:
  1. Group HQ
  2. 21st Battalion / "Buhpala Yudha"
  3. 22nd Battalion / "Manggala Yudha"
  4. 23rd Battalion / "Dhanuja Yudha" – originally located in Parung, Bogor
  5. 24th Battalion / "Chala Yudha"
  6. 25th Battalion / "Mahabala Yudha"
  7. 26th Battalion / "Sahasa Yudha"
Like "Group 1", "Group 2" has the main tasks and responsibilities for missions such as Airborne assault, Jungle warfare, Unconventional Warfare, Counter-insurgency, Special Reconnaissance, and Direct Action in support of the main goals assigned to Kopassus and the wider Army. It and Group 1 are also the oldest brigades of this storied formation. Until the 2025 reorganization, Group 2 was organized into 3 battalions instead of the current 6.

Special Forces Training and Education Center

The Special Forces Training and Education Center abbreviated "Pusdiklatpassus" is the training and education center for recruits and personnel associated with and qualifying to become full-fledged Commandos in the Army Special Forces Command. As an educational institution, "Pusdiklatpassus" is divided based on its training functions. It was established in 1962 to formalize the training regimen of this storied formation from its inception and to give a professional look towards the training and education studies of future operators and commandos. Its current structure as an educational and training formation is organized into six schools:
  • Parachute School
  • Commando School
  • Sandhi Yudha School
  • School of Specialized Warfare Operations
  • Specialization Training School
  • Raider Infantry School
The SFTEC provides other specialist courses, which are also open to serving members of the Army outside of the Kopassus such as: Hunting Company, Scuba, Rock-climbing, Demolition, Path-Finder and Sniper.

Commando Training

The Commando education and training course lasts for approximately seven months which is divided into three stages. The first phase of the implementation of the education is conducted on the base for 18 weeks, the second stage all participants will be released in the forest and the mountains twice each for 6 weeks, and the next stage of the third stage ends with a 4-week sea-swamp stage. The 97th batch of the Commando training course had first initial participants as many as 251 personnel, 214 of which successfully passed through said course and inaugurated as a special forces commando. Phases are as shown below:
  • Phase I
10 Weeks with individual ability points in Batujajar. Establish attitudes & personality, fill in technical skills, Command Operation tactics, Individual & basic capabilities of urban battle, Support knowledge, Field managerial, and individual ability test.
  • Phase II
6 Weeks with Counter Insurgency emphasis, Jungle warfare and Raid warfare in Situ Lembang. Stabilization of forest observations, individual abilities in the forest / Basic battle techniques, forest capabilities in group relations, forest HTF, and durability of long march application.
  • Phase III
4 Weeks with heavy Commando operation tactics, sea battle tactics in Cilacap and Nusakambangan. Conservation observation of Sea-swamp, patrol ability, swamp terrain knowledge and Resistance to Interrogation test.
Since its formation in 1967, the SFTEC has graduated more than a hundred batches of commando trainees. In the year 2016 alone, that year's batch had 153 commando students, which consisted of 41 Officers, 101 NCOs, and 11 Enlisted personnel, all who finished the course. The command officers who successfully complete the 7-month Command Course well are entitled to wear the qualified commando brevet issued to their clothing/uniform.
Aside from Kopassus commandos, the Pusdiklatpassus also trains SF-ready combat personnel of the Army Raider Infantry battalions within the structure of the territorial region commands or KODAMs Army-wide and within Kostrad component units.