The Scorpion 25th Special Forces Brigade () or known simply as Scorpion Spetsnaz (''Спецназ Скорпион'') is a specialized Kyrgyz military unit in the country's

Ground Forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. It is now considered to be one of the best armed formations in the armed forces. Being special forces troops, they specialize in airborne combat, hand-to-hand combat, covert operations, as well as insurgent skills.

History

The brigade was founded on March 31, 1994, as the 525th Special Purpose company by order of the

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

Myrzakan Subanov Myrzakan Usurkanovich Subanov ( ky, Мырзакан Усурканович (Усуркан уулу) Субанов, translit=Myrzaqan Usurqanovich (Usurqan uulu) Subanov; born 15 October 1944) is a Soviet- Kyrgyz military commander who served a ...

. Many officers in the company received combat experience in

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

and

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA),, renamed the Republic of Afghanistan, in 1987, was the Afghan state during the one-party rule of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) from 1978 to 1992. The PDPA came to power ...

. In 1995, a detachment of the company underwent monthly training sessions with the

United States Army Rangers United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

Fort Polk Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the first ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The company was eventually expanded into a battalion, and later into a brigade with its current name. Between 1999–2000, the brigade participated in the

Batken Conflict The Batken Conflict (, ) was a period of armed clashes between militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan, with support to the latter being provided by the Uzbek Ground Forces. It was caused by incursi ...

, turning the tide of many battles with the militants.

Training

All officers who serve in the brigade are trained at the

Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School The General V.F. Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Command School (RGVVDKU) () is a military educational institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense, situated in Ryazan, about southeast of Moscow. It was f ...

. Also, instructors from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

are often invited to the brigade.

Commanders

* Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Kholodkov (1994-1996) * Colonel Timur Dzhumanaliev (1996-1997) * Colonel Artur Temirov (1997-2000) * Colonel Akylbek Dononbaev (2000-2001) * Colonel

Asanbek Alymkozhoev Asanbek Tunguchpaevich Alymkozhoev (Kyrgyz: Асанбек Тунгучпаевич Алымкожоев; born 11 April 1956) is the former Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. He was also the commander of the National ...

(2001-2002) * Colonel

Taalaibek Omuraliev Taalaibek Baryktabasovich Omuraliev ( ky, Таалайбек Барыктабасович (Барыктабас уулу) Өмүралиев, translit=Taalaybek Baryktabasovich (Baryktabas uulu) Ömüraliyev, russian: Таалайбек Бары� ...

(2002-2004)

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations of Kyrgyzstan Military special forces brigades 1994 establishments in Kyrgyzstan Military units and formations established in 1994