ANA Special Operations Command (ANASOC). This division sized headquarters grew from the SOF Brigade when the ANA decided to expand the ANASF and build support elements to augment the Commandos and ANASF. The ANA Commandos will be the 'direct action" force while the 1st Special Forces Brigade will conduct internal defense, reconnaissance, and direct action missions. Planned for the future are two Commando brigades, one Special Forces brigade, one training brigade, one support brigade, and one strategic battalion. Learn more about the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command. UPDATE: It appears the Afghan Army SOF forces have been reconfigured into SOF Brigades with the 1st SO Brigade at Gardez, Paktiya and the 2nd SO Brigade at Kandahar (2nd SOF BDE). Within the SOF brigades are found SOF kandaks comprised of ANA Special Forces and ANA Commandos.
The Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) (English: Commando Corps) is the special forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the three principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands (the others being the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces (NLMARSOF) of the Netherlands Marine Corps and the Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten (BSB) of the Royal Marechaussee).
The KCT is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from the full spectrum of special operations, including counter-terrorism overseas. During the 1950s, the KCT transitioned to an organisation with three active companies made up of conscripts. In the context of heightened tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War, the commandos were trained for reconnaissances behind enemy lines, sabotage and intelligence operations.
In the 1960s, Korps Commandotroepen was greatly reduced in size to one active observation and reconnaissance company: 104 Waarnemings- en Verkenningscompagnie. This company was placed under the most senior field commander of the army, the commander of I Army Corps. In addition, commandos were selected to become part of the Dutch stay-behind network which was tasked with setting up an underground resistance organisation in the case of a Russian invasion.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 became a turning point for the Dutch armed forces in its entirety, and the KCT in particular. With the threat of Cold War receding, operational demands deviated significantly from the old set of tasks. Since the 9/11 Attacks, terrorism became the biggest threat, resulting in a high demand for specialist counter-terrorism units, capable of operating expeditionary. To keep up with these demands, the KCT's old role of Commando Waarnemer-verkenner (Commando Force Reconnaissance) was replaced by that of a role better suited for contemporary and versatile operations; Commando Speciale Operaties (Commando Special Operations). In addition, KCT switched from a "part conscript, part professional force" to a fully professional unit in 1995. The last conscripts made way for professional operators in 1996, when Dutch conscription was suspended. Since then, the KCT structure and operational capability have undergone a complete transformation, with great success. The unit grew from one active company to four, and matured into a professional and versatile SOF unit with a considerable reputation.
Special Operations Advisory Team[edit]
Commando in Afghanistan as part of the Special Operations Advisory Team, 2018.
Since 2018, KCT companies and NLMARSOF squadrons, together with operators of the German Kommando Spezialkräfte, form the Special Operations Advisory Team (SOAT) in northern Afghanistan. The SOAT, which is based near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, is tasked with training the Afghan police tactical unit Afghan Territorial Force-888 (ATF-888). The commandos provide the Afghan troops with military training, and join them during operations to provide advice and, if needed, assistance. The SOAT was granted permission to conduct operations in the entirety of Afghanistan in May 2019.
