List of commando units


This is a list of current commando units.

Argentina

Australia

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

Belgium

Brazil

China - PRC

Colombia

Air Force

France

In France, commando is both the name of Special Operations or Special Operations Capable units and the name of an elite light infantry training.

Germany

The German Army currently operates the Fernspähkompanie, and the Kommando Spezialkräfte.
The KSK is stationed in Calw, in the Black Forest area in southern Germany. It consists of about 1,100 soldiers, but only a nucleus of these are in fighting units. Exact numbers are not available, as this information is considered secret. The KSK is a part of the Special Operations Division.
The fighting units are divided into four commando companies of about 100 men each and the special commando company with veteran members, taking supporting tasks. Each of the four commando companies has five specialised platoons:
  • 1st platoon: land insertions
  • 2nd platoon: airborne operations
  • 3rd platoon: amphibious operations
  • 4th platoon: operations in special geographic or meteorologic surroundings
  • 5th platoon: reconnaissance, sniper and counter-sniper operations
  • Command Platoon
There are four commando squads in every platoon.

India

In India, the term "commando" is generally used to refer to the Special forces of India. 2 of the 3 Indian special forces currently have the word "commando" in their name while the other dropped the word "commando" for "Special Forces" in the late 1970s.
In addition, Ghatak Platoons are platoons present in every single infantry battalion of the Indian Army consisting of the most physically capable troops from every battalion who are selected to undergo commando training and are better equipped than the other platoons present in the battalion. Their role is similar to that of light infantry commandos.

Iraq

Israel

The primary commando units of the Israel Defense Forces include Shayetet 13, Sayeret Matkal and the Shaldag Unit.
Shayetet 13 is the elite naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy. S'13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and boarding. The unit is one of the world's most well reputed special forces units.
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defense Forces directly subordinate to the Directorate of Military Intelligence.Primarily a field intelligence-gathering unit specializing in special reconnaissance behind enemy lines, Sayeret Matkal is also tasked with counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and foreign espionage. Modeled after the British Army's Special Air Service—from which it emulated the motto, "Who Dares, Wins"—the unit is considered to be the Israeli equivalent to the famed Delta Force of the United States. As one of Israel's most important commando units, the Sayeret Matkal has reputedly been involved in almost every major counter-terrorism operation since its inception in 1957.
The Egoz Reconnaissance Unit is an Israeli Special Force commando unit, in the Israel Defense Forces. Egoz is a unit that specializes in guerrilla, anti-guerrilla warfare, behind enemy lines intelligence gathering, and more complicated ground activity. Egoz is part of the Commando Brigade but still completes basic training with the Golani Brigade.
Maglan is an Israeli special forces unit which specializes in operating behind enemy lines and deep in enemy territory using advanced technologies and weaponry.
Unit 217, frequently called Duvdevan Unit is an elite special operations force within the Israel Defense Forces, part of the Oz Brigade. Duvdevan are noted for undercover operations in urban areas, during which they often wear Arab civilian clothes as a disguise. They are also known to be trained in human and mechanical counter-surveillance.
Shaldag Unit, also known as Unit 5101, is an elite Israeli Air Force commando unit. Shaldag's mission is to deploy undetected into combat and hostile environments to conduct special reconnaissance, establish assault zones or airfields, while simultaneously conducting air traffic control and commando actions.

Korea, South - ROK

  • 700th Commando Regiment
  • 701st Commando Regiment
  • 702nd Commando Regiment
  • 703rd Commando Regiment
  • 705th Commando Regiment

Malaysia

In Malaysia, the concept of commandos has its roots in the Special Operations Executive's Far East branch, known as Force 136, during World War II. Many of its agents received commando training at British commando schools located in Europe, Asia, or Australia. After the war, a number of these former operatives continued to serve in the Malaysian Armed Forces. As a result, the term "Commando" in Malaysia generally refers to special forces personnel who have mastered espionage, guerrilla warfare and jungle operations.
Today, nearly all Malaysian special forces units, except those that focus specifically on urban operations, are required to complete a basic commando course at the commando school as part of their selection process. Historically, there were four units that included the word "Commando" in their official names. However, one of these units has since removed the term and adopted a different designation.
The units currently bearing the "Commando" title are:
The Royal Malaysian Navy's special forces, known today as the Naval Special Forces, previously used the name "Naval Commando Unit" from 1977 until 1982.

Netherlands

Pakistan

Philippines

The Special Action Force is the elite commando unit of the Philippine National Police. It is required to undergo the SAF Commando Course to be allowed to wear the SAF Beret. It also serves as the foundation course or requisite for other SAF specialization trainings such as Explosives and Ordnance Disposal, Basic Airborne Course, Urban Counter Revolutionary Warfare Course, SCUBA-BUSROC, SAF Seaborne Warfare Course and others.

Portugal

Singapore

1 CDO, 1st Commando Battalion

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment
  • 1st Commando Regiment
  • 2nd Commando Regiment
  • 3rd Commando Regiment
  • 4th Commando Regiment
  • HQ BN Commando
  • Commando Regiment Training School Uva Kudaoya
  • Commando Regiment Specialized Warfare Training School at Vidathalathive Mannar
  • Anti Hijacking & Hostage Release Team'

South Africa

While the use of the word commando came to refer to various elite special operations forces units in other countries in the world, South Africa retained its original name as both a well regulated quick response militia as well as a special operations forces unit defined in the worldwide fashion. From the end of the 19th until the early 21st centuries, the Commando units in the form of its original structure were used in both urban and rural areas until the end of white rule in South Africa as part of a nationwide South African Commando System.
When white rule was replaced with majority rule, the new democratic ANC led government demanded the disbandment of the commandos which they considered an obstacle to further democratic control as well as complaints of abuses. Thus, with the integration of white cities with black townships, the new ANC led urban governments immediately disbanded the urban militia commando units.
With the election of Thabo Mbeki, the process of de-arming white militias again commenced and it was announced in 2003, that the rural commandos would be disbanded. The last rural commandos were ordered disbanded by the central government over constitutional arguments.
The ANC government directed its attention toward the Reconnaissance Commandos which were the first mixed-race unit in the old SADF. During the period of rationalisation, reorganisation and integration, some Reconnaissance Regiments were disbanded and the members absorbed into the remaining 4 Special Forces Regiment at Langebaan and 5 SFR at Phalaborwa as part of the
South African Special Forces Brigade.

Sweden

Syria

Thailand

;Air Force

Turkey

Turkish commandos typically wear blue berets. Commando brigades form the backbone of the Turkish Army's offensive capabilities, but they are not trained to conduct special operations, rather they serve as the main light infantry of the TAF. As of 2016, the number of commando brigades have been expanded to 16 to deal with the new threats, including two in the gendarmerie force brigade. These include:
The most notable are the 1st Commando Brigade and the 5th Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade. The Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade was founded as a subunit of the 1st Commando Brigade and is stationed in Hakkâri Province at south-easternmost Turkey. With the rise of the Kurdish insurgency, the existing formation has been enlarged from the size of a battalion to a brigade. The 1st Commando Brigade was involved in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and fought beside airborne commandos and the Naval Infantry Brigade. In 1988, 7000 commandos received training from the United States.

United Kingdom

, Royal Marines is under the command of the Royal Navy's Commander-in-Chief Fleet. All Royal Marines are commando trained on entry to the Corps, with supporting units and individuals from the other armed services undertaking the All Arms Commando Course as required.
The UKCF is made up of 30 Commando, 40 Commando, 42 Commando, 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group, 45 Commando, the Commando Logistic Regiment, the Viking Squadron, 539 Assault Squadron RM, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers.
The Royal Marines is the largest force of its type in Europe and the second largest in NATO.

United States

The United States continues to have no designated "commando" units. The closest equivalent to other nations Commando units remain the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment and Marine Raiders, which specialize in most of the same tasks and missions and were specifically modelled after the British Commandos.
During the Vietnam War the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Group instituted, "Special Operations Augmentation Recondo School," an acronym for Reconnaissance Commando. The school was at Nha Trang Air Base, north of the massive U.S. Navy and Air Force Base at Cam Ranh Bay. Recondo School trained small, heavily armed long-range reconnaissance teams the art of patrolling deep in enemy-held territory. All students were combat veterans and came from the ranks of the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon Battalions, and the Army of the Republic of South Korea. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam had their own school. The modern U.S. Army's Long-range surveillance, Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition, and the U.S. Marine Corps' United States [Marine Air-Ground Task Force Reconnaissance|Force Recon] all derive some portion of their legacies from the Recondo program and utilize the name "Recondos" informally.

Vietnam