, image = Özel_Kuvvetler_Komutanlığı_Brövesi.png , caption = Shoulder patch of the Special Forces Command , dates = 1992–present , country = , branch = General Staff , class =

Land forces Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

, type = Special forces , role =

Unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces, subversion, or guerrilla warfare. This is typically done to avoid escalation into conventional ...

, size =

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

, command_structure = , garrison = Ankara , nickname = Maroon Berets
Bordo Bereliler , patron = , motto = "The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer." , colors = (claret red) , colors_label =

Beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...

, march = Alay Marşı ( Regiment March) , mascot = , battles = *

Operation Northern Iraq , image= , caption= , partof=the Kurdish–Turkish conflict , place=Iraqi Kurdistan , date=12 October – 1 November 1992 , result= KRG–PKK cease-fire. *2 captured Turkish soldiers released by PKK *All routes between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan r ...

* Turkish army winter campaign of 1994–1995 * Operation Steel (1995) *

Operation Hammer (1997) Operation Hammer ( tr, Çekiç Harekâtı) was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 12 May and 7 July 1997 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The operation's objectives were to destroy PKK u ...

Operation Dawn (1997) Operation Dawn ( tr, Şafak Harekâtı) was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces (in conjunction with the forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party) into northern Iraq between 25 September and 15 October 1997 against the Kurdist ...

* Operation Sun (2008) * Operation Martyr Yalçın (2015) * PKK–Turkish conflict *

Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield ( tr, Fırat Kalkanı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in the Syrian Civil War which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out ...

Operation Olive Branch Operation Olive Branch ( tr, Zeytin Dalı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the majority-Kurdish Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Pro ...

Operation Spring Shield Operation Spring Shield ( tr, Bahar Kalkanı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) against the Syrian Armed Forces and allied militias in the Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria, which ...

* Second Libyan Civil War (2020) *

Operation Claw-Lock Operation Claw-Lock ( tr, Pençe-Kilit Operasyonu) is an ongoing military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Iraq. The operation is taking place in the Duhok Governorate against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), as part of the on ...

, anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , notable_commanders =

Engin Alan Engin Alan (born 31 March 1945 in Istanbul) is a former Turkish general. He was Chief of the Special Forces of the Turkish Army from 1996 to 2000. He retired in 2005. After his retirement he became General Director of the Foundation to Strength ...

Zekai Aksakallı Lieutenant-General Zekai Aksakallı (born 25 December 1961) is a Turkish Special Forces Command commander. He graduated from the Turkish Military Academy. He was commander of the Turkish forces inside Syria in 2016 following the coup d'état att ...

, current_commander =

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Ömer Ertuğrul Erbakan Ömer Ertuğrul Erbakan (born 27 December 1965) is a Turkish general. He is the current commander of Turkish Special Forces. Biography He graduated from the Turkish Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy ( tr, Kara Harp Okulu) ...

, ceremonial_chief = , colonel_of_the_regiment = The Special Forces Command ( tr, Özel Kuvvetler Komutanlığı — OKK) is a division of the Turkish Armed Forces, initially established as a brigade in 14 April 1992, operating directly under the Turkish General Staff. According to the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...

(TAF) dress code, the OKK, also known as the ''Bordo Bereliler,'' are noteworthy for their distinctive maroon berets. Their task is to carry out special operations that exceed the capabilities of other military units.

History

First established on 27 September 1952 as the Special and Auxiliary Combat Troops, the OKK was renamed Mobilization Investigation Board in November 1953. On 14 December 1970, it was reorganized as the Special Warfare Department. Due to the emergence of external dangers after the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and threats from the northern part of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, the Special Forces Command was established as a brigade on 14 April 1992. In 2006, the brigade transitioned to a division. OKK leadership was upgraded from major-general to lieutenant-general and the new division was split into the 1st and 2nd brigade with the expectation that the troop count would double from 7000 to 14,000 by 2009. They ranked first among twenty-six special forces troops at the World Special Forces Championship held in Germany in 2004. In 1998, Turkey's special forces intercepted a warning intended for the PKK team in Iraq, infiltrated PKK operations and captured the commander of Kurdistan Democratic Party's (PKK) military forces,

Şemdin Sakık Şemdin Sakık (born Muş Province, Turkey 1959), nicknamed ''Semo'' or ''Parmaksiz Zeki'' (fingerless Zeki) for having lost a finger while firing a rocket, is a former commander of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)'s military forces. He is be ...

. In 1999, the Turkish Special Forces used technology given to them by the Netherlands to arrest Abdullah Öcalan, a founding member of the PKK, after he landed at the

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

airport in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. In 2014, after 49 consular employees were taken hostage by

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

, Special Forces Command carried out joint operations with

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization, and rescued the hostages. Special Forces Command took part in internal security operations during the 2015-2016 curfews in the

Southeastern Anatolia Region The Southeastern Anatolia Region ( tr, Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous city in the region is Gaziantep. Other examples of big cities are Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Adıyaman. It ...

, Furthermore, on 21 February 2015 they participated in

Operation Shah Euphrates Operation Shah Euphrates ( tr, Şah Fırat Operasyonu) was an operation by the Turkish military to relocate the tomb of Suleyman Shah in Syria conducted on 21/22 February 2015. The tomb, which was positioned inside Turkey's only foreign enclave, ...

to relocate the

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

Suleyman Shah Suleyman Shah ( ota, سلیمان شاه; Modern tr, Süleyman Şah) was, according to Ottoman tradition, the son of Kaya Alp and the father of Ertuğrul, who was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Early Ottoman genealogi ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. With the start of the operations in

against

and PYD in 2016 during

, the Special Forces Command infiltrated the region and carried out exploration activities supported by the Free Syrian Army. Special Forces Command also played a role in operations such as

Operation Claw (2019–2020) Operation Claw () was a cross-border military operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region against the Kurdistan Workers' Party. On the morning of 28 May 2019, Turkish troops fired artillery shells and launche ...

Operation Peace Spring The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring ( tr, Barış Pınarı Harekâtı) by Turkey, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Ar ...

and

Operations Claw-Eagle and Tiger The joint Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger operations (Turkish language, Turkish: Pençe-Kartal Operasyonu ''and'' Pençe-Kaplan Operasyonu) was a Turkish Armed Forces Kurdish–Turkish_conflict_(1978–present)#External_operations, external operation ...

. The identities of Turkish Special Forces Command personnel are classified. Turkish SOF Officers are battle hardened, constantly operating and are active in the war on the PKK in the southeastern border region of Turkey and northern Iraq.

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 OKK Senior

Sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

Ömer Halisdemir Ömer Halisdemir (February 20, 1974 – July 16, 2016) was a Turkish non-commissioned officer, who was killed on duty in the night of failed 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, immediately after he shot dead pro-coup general Semih Terzi and preve ...

shot and killed Terzi, disrupting the command of the rebels.

Organization

The Special Forces are not aligned to any of the three branches of the TAF. They receive orders directly from the

General Staff of the Republic of Turkey , image = , image_size = 160px , caption = Emblem of the General Staff , dates = 3 May 1920 – present , country = , allegiance ...

. The official size of the Special Forces Command (OKK), which is publicly known as Red Berets, stands at a Division level, this includes non-combatant units and other support staff. The combatant size of the OKK is not greater than 500.

Special Aviation Group

Special Aviation Group provides helicopter support for the Command's missions. The helicopters were modernized in 2015 and can operate at night or during the day.

Training and recruitment

ÖKK recruits officers, NCOs and SNCOs almost exclusively from the Land Forces Command, Turkey's army branch. Volunteers must pass written and physical exams, and linguistic skills in at least one foreign language are beneficial toward admission. The OKK training period lasts around 3.5 years, and encompasses:

unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces, subversion, or guerrilla warfare. This is typically done to avoid escalation into conventional ...

and various special warfare types,

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

special reconnaissance Special reconnaissance (SR) or Recon Team is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organizations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detec ...

and infiltration,

covert operations A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performe ...

, psychological warfare, underwater operation, static parachute and

HALO Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

(night and day jump), counter-terrorism in residential areas,

close-quarters combat Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at short range. It can occur between military units, police/corrections offic ...

, resisting torture and interrogation techniques, ambush, raid, sabotage, escape, VIP protection, marksmanship, intelligence, languages, survival, operation in deep snow, extreme weather, bomb disposal, demolition, fire arrangement, damage detection, and TCCC. 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 they officially become Maroon Beret officers. They are expected to survive in all environmental conditions, so as part of the final testing stage teams of recruits are left in different environments for two weeks, with no equipment or help. On the last month of training, called the "hell month", Maroon Berets receive training in interrogation and torture, and undertake a Trust Shot (Turkish: ''Güven Atışı'') exercise. In this exercise, two members of a squad have to flank paper target boards while the third advances from and shoots at the targets with live ammunition. Those flanking the targets are not permitted to move or wear body armor.

Equipment

Source:

History

Attempted coup d'état

Organization

Special Aviation Group

Training and recruitment

Equipment

See also

References

Further reading