This is a list of special forces units.
RENEA REPARTI OPERACIONEVE SPECIALE (ROS) BATALIONI SPECIAL COMMANDO REGIMENT COMMANDO F.N.SH REPUBLICAN GUARD OPERATIV COMPANY
- Special Operations Command (SOCOMD)
- Australian Special Air Service Regiment
- 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4RAR)
- 1st Commando Regiment
- Clearance Diving Team
- Airfield Defence Guards (ADG)
- Tactical Assault Group-West (TAG-W)- No. 1 Squadron Special Air Service Regiment tasked with Counter-terrorism operations for the Western region of Australia.
- Tactical Assault Group-East (TAG-E)- A Company of 4th Battalion (Commando) tasked with Counter-terrorism operations for the Eastern region of Australia.
- GEK (Cobra unit)
- Jagdkommando
- RAB Rapid Action Battalion
- Belgian Para-Commando-Brigade
- GVP/ESR (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols)
- SIE ( Speciaal Interventie Eskadron - Belgian Police Counter Terrorism unit
- Devil's Brigade (WW II)
- Canadian Airborne Regiment (Disbanded 1995)
- Joint Task Force 2 (JTF) a small, secretive, SAS-type, strategic-level, military unit whose mission is to provide expert "armed assistance in the resolution of an incident that is affecting, or has the potential to affect, the national interest." The primary focus is counter-terrorism (CT) tasks in Canada in support of civil authorities. However, the unit can expect to be employed on other high value strategic tasks, including the overseas missions of the Canadian Forces.
Costa Rica has a paramilitary Civil Guard, based on Spain's Guardia Civil, instead of a regular military. The UIE unit of the Civil Guard is trained in VIP protection and hostage rescue, and also assists with dangerous criminal arrests.
- Eritrean Special Forces (note: accepts female members)
See unofficial site. French special forces operate under the Special Operation Command. First circle units are permanently under that command, while second circle units may be called in if necessary.
- First circle
- Army
- 11th shock parachutist regiment (disbanded)
- 1st parachutist marine infantry regiment
- 13th parachutist dragoon regiment
- special helicopter squadron
- DGSE, division of operations
- Air Force
- 10th air parachutist commando
- Navy
- Naval commandos (Jaubert, Trepel, de Penfentenyo, de Montfort, Hubert)
- Army
- Second circle
- parachutist commando group
- Gendarmerie GSIGN including GIGN.
- unsorted:
- GIGN: (Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale) France's Official Counter Terrorism unit, made up of members from France's military units
- RAID: Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion. A highly secret Counter Terrorism unit whose members are either recruited off the street, from the military or police force.
- Commando de Marine: Formed by Cpt. Kieffer Philippe_Kieffer during World War II, trained by British commando units during WWII. Nickname : Bérets Verts,
- Le Groupe de Combat en Milieu Clos (GCMC): French Naval Special Forces unit trained in maritime assault
- 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes (13th Dragoon Paratroops Rgt)
- Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK)
- Kampfschwimmerkompanie (KSK)
- Sondereinsatzkommando (SEK)
- Grenzschutzgruppe 9 of the German Federal Border Police (counter terrorist unit)
- Fallschirmjäger (Parachutists)
- Fernspäh Kompanies (SAS-type/LRRPS)
- Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Warfare troops)
- Víkingasveitin (Viking Squad)
- Army
- [Para Commandos]
- Navy
- [Marine Commando Force]
- Air Force
- [Garud Commando Force]
- Counter-Terrorist Units
- Other units
- [Special Frontier Force]
- [Special Protection Group]
- Kopassus (Komando Pasukan Khusus) TNI AD
- Kopaska (Komando Pasukan Katak) TNI AL
- Denjaka (Datasemen Jala Mengkara) TNI AL
- Taifib (Marine Reconaissance) Marinir TNI AL
- Datasemen Bravo Paskhas TNI AU
- Datasemen Gegana Brigade Mobil Polri
- Emergency Response Unit
- Irish Army Rangers (note: accepts female members)
- Unit 101 (disbanded)
- Sayeret Matkal
- Sayeret Yahalom
- Shayetet-13
- YAMAM (police SF unit)
- COMSUBIN of the Navy
- GIS of the Carabinieri
- NOCS of the Polizia di Stato
- 9° Parachutist Assault Regiment "Col Moschin" of the Italian Army
- 185° Parachutist Reconnaissance Regiment “Folgore” of the Italian Army
- 4° Alpini Paracadutisti (Paratroops) Regiment “Monte Cervino” of the Italian Army
- Reparto Incursori dell’ Aeronautica Militare (RIAM) (The new Air Force special ops unit)
- Fucilieri dell’Aria (new Air Force force protection unit)
- Special Assault Team - National Counter-Terrorist unit of the National Police Agency
- Special Boarding Team
- [C (Special Duties) Company] of the 1st Rgt Armed Forces of Malta
- [Rapid Deployment Team] of the 2nd Rgt Armed Forces of Malta
- GAFE
- FES
- GAFE del Alto Mando( High Command GAFE )
- Grupo de los Cien( Group of 100 )
- KCT
- 108th Korps Commandotroepen
- BBE (Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid; Counter-Terrorism)
- 7NL Special Boat Squadron
- 104 Observation and Recon Co. (Reserve unit LRRPs)
- BSB (Brigade Speciale Beveilingsopdrachten)
- FSK the Special Commando of the Norwegian Defence Force.
- Hærens Jegerkommando the Norwegian Army Ranger Command.
- Marinejegerkommandoen the Naval Ranger Command of the Royal Norwegian Navy.
- Beredskapstroppen "Delta" a special alert unit of the national police.
- 1st Commando Regiment
- GROM
- Sekcja Dzialan Specjalnych "Formoza"
- 6th Airborne Brigade
- GROM: Poland's equivalent of Delta Force and the SAS (Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Mobilnego)
- Navy Combat Diver's Group "Formoza" (GSP - Grupa Specjalna Płetwonurków)
- Pododdziały Antyterrorystyczne: Polish Police Counter-Terrorism Unit (Zarzad Operacji Antyterrorystycznych ZOA KGP)
- 6 Brygada Desantowo-Szturmowa im. Gen. Sosabowskiego
- 4101st Paratroop Battalion (LRRPS'S)
- DAE - Destacamento do Acções Especiais (Special Actions Detachment)
- GOE Grupo de Operações Especiais (Special Operations Group)
- LRRP - Long Range Recon Patrol (Portuguese component of the Allied Command Europe (ACE)
- Cprecs - Companhia de Precursores (Pathfinder Company)
- BAI - Brigada Aerotransportada Independente (PIndependent Airborne Brigade)
- Alpha_Group, Russia's prime counter-terrorist unit (subordinated to the FSB).
- Beta Group
- Delfin (Dolphin)
- Kondor Division of MVD
- Saturn
- VDV (Airborne Forces)
- Vympel (Pennant) aka Group V, counter-terrorist and covert action unit (subordinated to the FSB)
- Spetsnaz (SPETSialnoje NAZnachenie): general term for all special purpose units, regardless of service
- Naval infantry Spetsnaz: Russian Navy Naval infantry (aka black berets) SpecOps,
- VDV (airborne troops):
- MVD (Interior Ministry Troops)
Law Enforcement Agencies
- Brigada Antiterorista - the counter-terorrism unit of the SRI (Serviciul Roman de Informatii - Intelligence Romanian Service), equivalent of the FBI's Hostage and Rescue Team (HRT);
- SIIAS - Serviciul Independent pentru Interventii si Actiuni Speciale - SWAT unit of the National Police, reporting directly to the Inspector General; local police agencies have also their own SWAT units (SPIR - Serviciul de Politie pentru Interventie Rapida);
- Brigada Speciala de Interventie a Jandarmeriei - SWAT unit of the National Gendarmery;
- Grupul Special de Protecţie şi Intervenţie "ACVILA"- unit reporting directly to the Ministery of the Interior
- Detasament de Interventie of the Border Police
Military Units
Law Enforcement Agencies - Serbian Ministry of internal affairs
- Specijalna Antiteroristička Jedinica, Special Antiterrorism Unit (SAJ)
- Žandarmerija, Gendarmerie
- Jedinica za Specijalne Operacije, Unit for Special Operations - shutdown in 2003 after some of it's members had been accused of assassination of then prime minister Zoran Djindjic
Military Units - Army of Serbia and Montenegro
- 63. padobranska brigada, 63rd parachute brigade
- 72. jurišna brigada, 72nd assault brigade
- Special Forces Command
- 707th Special Mission Unit
- ROK Capital Command
- Republic of Korea Marine Corps
- ROKMC 1st Special Reconnaissance Battalion (the "Sharkmen")
- Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) 56 Special Warfare Squadron (UDT/SEALs)
- 56 Special Warafare Squadron Special Missions Group
- Military Police Special Guard Team (The Military Police SWAT unit)
- Korean National Police SWAT "868 unit"
- Mando de Operaciones Especiales (MOE)(Army special operations command)
- Escuadrilla de Zapadores Paracaidistas (EZAPAC)
- Escuadrilla de Apoyo al Despliegue Aereo (EADA)
- Unidad Especial de Buceadores de Combate (UEBC)
- Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE)
- Grupo Especial de Operaciones of the Policia Nacional
- Grupos Antiterroristas Rurales of the Guardia Civil
- Berrozi from Ertzaintza
- Unidad Especial de Intervención
- Särskilda Skyddsgruppen SSG
- Kustjägarna (Coastal Rangers)
- Norrlandsjägarna (Arctic Commandos)
- Fallskärmsjägarna Airborne Rangers
- Nationella Insatsstyrkan Police SWAT unit
Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Thunder Squad (SWAT)
- Security Preservation Force
- Nighthawks Force (Counter-decapitation unit of Military Police Command)
- Aviation and Special Warfare Command
- 862nd Special Warfare Brigade
- Airborne Special Services Company (ASSC)
- 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion (ROC Army Frogmen)
- Underwater Demolitons Unit (UDU)
- Berkut (Golden Eagles)
- Commandos - Royal Marines
- Mountain Leader Training Cadre & Brigade Patrol Group
- Directorate of Special Forces
- Special Air Service (SAS)
- Special Boat Service (SBS)
- Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR)
- 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (R)
- 14 Intelligence Company (Northern Ireland)
- 16 Airborne Brigade Pathfinder Platoon
- 4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery
- The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC)
- 148 (Meiktila) Commando, Forward Observation Battery
- UK Special Forces Reserve - [1]
Main article: U.S. Special Operations Forces.
- US Army Rangers- Specialize in quick direct action raids, originally wore a Black Beret, now wear a Tan Beret.
- US Army Special Forces (Green Berets)- specialize Direct Action, Reconaissance, Sabotage Foreign Internal Defense (FID) – e.g. training foreign troops; many of the "military advisors" in South Vietnam in the 1960s were Special Forces soldiers. It is worth noting that most Green Berets prefer to call themselves "Special Forces soldiers".
- US Navy SEALs- specialize in a wide variety of missions, including underwater demolition, maritime search & secure, hostage rescue, ship boarding, reconaisance, direct action, sabotage, VIP protection for government and military officials, and search and rescue. SEAL stands for SEa Air and Land.
- U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance- conduct Hostage/Prisoner of war rescue, assist in specialized technical missions {Weapons of mass destruction(NBC), Radio, sensors and beacons, etc.}, ordnance delivery (i.e., designating targets for laser-guided bombs, ground artillery and naval artillery), and conduct 'limited scale raids,' such as gas and oil platform (GOPLATS) raids and the capture of specific personnel or sensitive materials.
- Air Force Special Operations- includes Combat Controllers, who coordinate airborne attacks; Pararescuemen, who perform Combat Search and Rescue for downed air crews; and Combat Weathermen, who check weather for mission planners. These three types of commandos form an AF Special Tactics Team, who assist other Special Forces units with recon and liason between those units and the Air Force.
- US Army Delta Force- specializes in counter-terrorist operations. Modelled on the British SAS.
- Brigada Acciones Especiales (BAE)
- Grupo de Acciones de Comandos (GAC)
- [[JCEF]