Kommando Spezialkräfte

From 1973 until the KSK's formation in 1996, the West German (and later German) government assigned all counter-terrorist and special operations activities to the GSG 9, a highly trained police force created shortly after the hostage-taking that transpired during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Prior to 1973, the army's Fernspäher (Long-Distance Reconnaissance), the navy's Kampfschwimmer (Combat Swimmers/"Frogmen"), and (until 1989) the Special Weapons Escort Companies—Sonderwaffenbegleitkompanien[3] were the only military units comparable to anything that other nations may have seen as dedicated special forces units.

One politically concrete reason for the establishment of the KSK was the fact that in 1994, during the genocide in Rwanda, German citizens had to be evacuated by Belgian para-commandos. The decision that this task was carried out by special operations forces of the former colonial power Belgium had been made in advance by mutual agreement between the NATO partners. The Federal Government of Germany also refused to intervene on its own, as in its view neither the GSG 9 nor the Bundeswehr "Bravo Companies" were trained to operate in a guerrilla situations and there was also a lack of the necessary transport capability. Several Belgian soldiers died during this operation. Due to the political pressure, the need to have its own forces ready for special operations within NATO became obvious.

Following the KSK's activation on April 1, 1997, all but one of the Fernspähkompanie have been either disbanded or merged into the newly constituted unit.

Like those of all German military units, KSK deployments require authorization from the German Bundestag (Federal Assembly). The unit has engaged in numerous anti-terror campaigns both in Europe and abroad; known engagements include operations inside Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and most recently in Afghanistan.

During the War in Afghanistan, although nominally under OEF command, the KSK worked under ISAF command since 2005, carrying out numerous operations in the vicinity of the German deployment in Kabul, including a successful raid on an al-Qaeda safehouse for suicide bombers in October 2006. KSK operators have commented in the German media about the restrictions placed on them by their national caveats and stated a preference for working directly for the Americans as part of OEF-A as they had done as part of Task Force K-Bar.[4]

As is to be expected with such units, specific operational details such as success and casualty rates are considered to be top secret and withheld even from the highest-ranking members of the Bundestag. This practice has elicited some serious concerns, resulting in agreement to increase both transparency and accountability, by disclosing mission details to selected members of the Bundestag, in relation to the future deployments of KSK forces.

On May 4, 2013 the KSK reported its first casualty. First Sergeant Daniel Wirth was fatally shot in Baghlan Province - Afghanistan during operation "Maiwand". US Army forces were part of the attempted rescue mission. Daniel Wirth was honored by his sister Kathrin Wirth-Torrente in a book titled "Brothers in Bravery". It not only tells her brother's story, but also reflects on 40 additional military members who lost their lives while fighting The Global War on Terror in the Greater Middle East. The book was published by the Travis Manion Foundation in September 2017.

In 2018, the German Federal Criminal Police Office uncovered a plot involving unknown KSK soldiers to murder prominent German politicians such as Claudia Roth, Heiko Maas and Joachim Gauck among others, and carry out attacks against immigrants living in Germany.[5] Also, earlier that same year in a separate investigation, the State prosecutors in the city of Tübingen investigated whether neo-Nazi symbols were used at a "farewell" event involving members of KSK.[6][7]

In June 2020, German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced that the unit would be partially disbanded due to growing far-right extremism within the ranks.[8] The KSK had become partially independent from the chain of command, with a toxic leadership culture, and one of the force's four companies, where extremism is said to be the most rife, was to be dissolved and not replaced.[9]

There have been eight commanders in the 20-year period since KSK was formed in 1996. They are as follows:[10]

• 1996–1998: Brigadier General Fred Schulz
• 1998–2000: Brigadier General Hans-Heinrich Dieter
• 2000–2003: Brigadier General Reinhard Günzel
• 2003–2005: Brigadier General Carl-Hubertus von Butler
• 2005–2007: Brigadier General Rainer Hartbrod
• 2007–2010: Brigadier General Hans-Christoph Ammon
• 2010–2013: Brigadier General Heinz Josef Feldmann
• 2013–2017: Brigadier General Dag Knut Baehr*
• 2017–2018: Brigadier General Alexander Sollfrank
• 2018–present: Brigadier General Markus Kreitmayr

*Brigadier general Dag Baehr has previously served twice as a field officer in the KSK: First, under the command of Brigadier General Schulz, when it was founded from 1996 until 1999 and then again between 2004 until 2007 under the command of Brigadier General Hartbrod.[11]

KSK land based training operations (2017)

KSK air insertion training (2017)

The KSK is a regular army unit at brigade level and (apart from the HQ and the Development Group) divided into two battalion-sized departments: Operational Forces and Support Forces.

Sniper training (2006)

Initially, only officers and non-commissioned officers of the Bundeswehr could apply for service with the KSK and the subsequent evaluation period. As a prerequisite for entry, the Bundeswehr Commando Course (Einzelkämpferlehrgang) must have been completed by the applicant. Since 2005, however, applications have also been opened to civilians and enlisted personnel who must complete an 18-month Long Range Surveillance training cycle before the intense KSK selection process begins.

The selection process for the combat positions is divided into two phases: a three-week-long physical and psychological training regimen (normally having a 40% pass rate), and later a three-month-long physical endurance phase (normally with an 8–10% pass rate). During latter phase, the KSK use the Black Forest as their proving grounds for prospective operators. In this time, candidates must undergo a grueling 90-hour cross-country run, followed by a three-week international Combat Survival Course at the German-led multinational Special Operations Training Center (formerly the International Long Range Reconnaissance School) in Pfullendorf.

Upon successful completion of the selection process, candidates may be allowed to start their 2–3-year training cycle with the KSK. This training includes roughly twenty courses at over seventeen schools worldwide: in Norway for Arctic terrain, Austria for mountainous terrain; El Paso, Texas, or Israel for desert and/or bush training; San Diego for amphibious operations; and Belize for jungle experience.

According to press releases from May 2008, the Bundeswehr aims to advance the attractiveness of service in the KSK to women.[14] This is partially because the KSK was previously unable to reach its targeted number of troops.[15] The KSK was no longer restricted to male troops after the Bundeswehr opened all units to women in 2001. As of 2020 in KSK, women occupied auxiliary positions.[16]

• Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) – U.S. equivalent command
• Special Operations Forces Command (KSSO) – Russian equivalent command

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kommando Spezialkräfte.

• KSK offalkräfte (KSK) at Sondereinheiten.de (in German)