Special Forces Command (Turkey)

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Special Forces Command
Turkish: Özel Kuvvetler Komutanlığı
Shoulder patch of the Special Forces Command
Active	1992–present[1]
Country	Turkey
Branch	General Staff
Type	Special forces
Role	Special Operations Unconventional warfare Direct Action Special reconnaissance Foreign Internal Defense Counter-Terrorism Hostage Rescue High-value target Counterinsurgency
Size	Brigade[2]
Garrison/HQ	Ankara
Nickname(s)	Maroon Berets Bordo Bereliler
Motto(s)	"The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer."[3]
Beret	Maroon (claret red)
March	Alay Marşı (Regiment March)
Engagements	Operation Northern Iraq Turkish army winter Campaign of 1994–95 Operation Steel (1995) Operation Hammer (1997) Operation Dawn (1997) Operation Sun (2008) Operation Martyr Yalçın (2015) Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Olive Branch Operation Spring Shield Libyan Civil War (2020)
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Ömer Ertuğrul Erbakan
Notable commanders	Korkut Eken Engin Alan Zekai Aksakallı

The Special Forces Command (Turkish: Özel Kuvvetler Komutanlığı — OKK) was established in 1992 at the brigade level, directly under the Turkish General Staff.^[4] According to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) dress code, the OKK use maroon berets.^[5][6] Their task is to carry out special operations that exceed the capabilities of other military units.^[7] The OKK may be considered as the Turkish counterpart of the US Army Special Forces (Green Berets).^{[8] [9]}

History[]

First established on 27 September 1952 as the Special and Auxiliary Combat Troops, it was renamed on 7 November 1953 as the Mobilization Investigation Board. On 14 December 1970, it was reorganized as the Special Warfare Department.^[10] Due to the emergence of external dangers after the Gulf War and threats from the northern part of Iraq, the Special Forces Command was established as a brigade on 14 April 1992 through changes in its campus and structure.^[11] Later, the division was followed by the corps with the decision of the 2006 Supreme Military Council, which was later reaffirmed in 2015.^[12] They ranked first among twenty-six special forces troops at the World Special Forces Championship held in Germany in 2004.^[13]

In 1998, Turkey's special forces seized KDP (PKK) Şemdin Sakık and infiltrate a PKK operation upon intercepting a warning to be delivered to the PKK team in Iraq.^[14] In 1999, at the Nairobi airport, Abdullah Öcalan, a founding member of the PKK, was arrested upon landing by the Turkish Special Forces using technology given the Netherlands and brought to Turkey.^[15] In 2014, after 49 consular employees were taken hostage by ISIS in Mosul, Special Forces Command carried out joint operations with MIT, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, and rescued the hostages.^[16] Special Forces Command took part in internal security operations during the 2015-2016 curfews in the Southeastern Anatolia Region.^[17][18] Special Forces Command also took part in Operation Shah Euphrates on 21 February 2015 to relocate the tomb of Suleyman Shah in Syria.^[19] With the start of the operations in Syria against ISIS and PYD in 2016 during Operation Euphrates Shield, the Special Forces Command infiltrated the region and carried out exploration activities supported by the Free Syrian Army.^[20] Special Forces Command also played a role in operations such as Operation Olive Branch,^[21] Operation Claw (2019–2020),^[22] Operation Peace Spring^[23] and Operations Claw-Eagle and Tiger.^[24]

The identities of Turkish Special Forces Command personnel are classified. Unlike other special operations teams, Turkish SOF Officers are battle hardened and are constantly operating and are active in the war on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the southeastern Iraqi border region of Turkey and into Northern Iraq. They operate against the terrorist organization's executive positions and critical points across the border.^[25][26]

Attempted coup d'état[]

A key figure of the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt was brigadier general Semih Terzi, who was Deputy Commander of the Special Forces at the time and the highest-ranking field commander during the coup attempt. He led a team of roughly 40 special forces operatives in an attempt to secure Special Forces Headquarters and organize attacks against government agencies and the parliament. The attempt ended in failure when senior OKK master sergeant Ömer Halisdemir shot and killed Terzi, demoralizing and disrupting command and control of the rebels.^[27][28]

Organization[]

The Special Forces are not aligned to any of the three branches of the TAF. It receives its orders directly from the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey.^[29] Although considered a brigade-level formation, as of 2017, this includes non-combatant units and administrative duties personnel. The combatant size of the OKK is not greater than 500.^[30]

Special Aviation Group[]

Special Aviation Group provides helicopter support for the Command's missions. The helicopters have been modernized and can operate at night and day, integrated and in sync.^[31][32][33]

Training and recruitment[]

Only Army officers and NCOs are eligible to join this the OKK. Linguistic skills in at least one foreign language are beneficial toward admission.^[30] Each recruit must have served at least 3 years and must have a certain amount of time in operations, either from exercises or actual clashes.

The OKK training period lasts around 3.5 years, and addresses:^[34][35] unconventional warfare and various special warfare types, special operations, special reconnaissance and infiltration, covert operations, psychological warfare, underwater operation, static parachute and HALO (night and day jump), counter-terrorism in residential areas, close-quarters combat, resisting vital maintenance and torture-ınterrogation, ambush, raid, sabotage, escape, VIP protection, marksmanship, ıntelligence, languages, survival, operation in deep snow, severe cold and heat, bomb disposal, demolition, fire arrangement, damage detection, and first and emergency aid.^[30]

Recruits must undergo:

• Domestic training (72 weeks)
• International training (10 to 52 weeks, depending on rank)
• Specialty training

After graduating from Special Operations Training, commandos are tested before officially becoming an Maroon Beret officer. They are expected to survive in all environmental conditions, so as part of the final testing stage the teams are left in different environments with no equipment or help for two weeks.

On the last month of training, called 'hell month', Maroon Berets receive interrogation and torture training. Also in the final month is the Trust Shot (Turkish: Güven Atışı) exercise. In this exercise, two members of a squad flank paper target boards while a third advances from 15 m (49 ft), shooting at the targets with live ammunition. Those standing are not permitted to move or wear body armour. Few other special operations teams perform such tests.^[36]

Equipment^[37][]

See also[]

• List of military special forces units

References[]

Further reading[]

Media related to Özel Kuvvetler Komutanlığı at Wikimedia Commons

• Lale Sariibrahimoglu, 'Live-fire exercises shine spotlight on Turkey's special forces,' Jane's Defence Weekly, 7 January 2004