Description: Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command, also known as the Republic of Korea Army Special Forces "Black Berets"(R.O.K-Special Forces) is the military command of the Republic of Korea Army responsible for their special operation forces. ROK Special Forces brigades work in close relationship with their counterparts in the United States Army Special Forces "Green Berets". ROK Special Forces brigades were modeled after United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets). U.S. SOF in Korea are under the command and control of Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) which is a sub-unified command assigned under the Combatant Command (COCOM) of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and further delegated to the Operational Command of the USFK. Since 1993, the South Korean military has trained experts by sending officers to various PKO training institutions such as the Northern Europe United Nations Training Corps (UNTC), Poland, and Ireland. And since 1995, officers and related government officials have been sent to the Pearson Peacekeeping Center (PPC) in Canada. To lay the foundation for PKO education domestically, in 1995 the military designated the Joint Services Staff College to be the lead institution to educate officers to become military observers and staff. In May 1998, the PKO Department was officially inaugurated within the college. Moreover, the Special Warfare Command's Education Corps was designated as the institution solely responsible for unit-level education of PKO forces by providing solid education for infantry and engineer personnel. The command includes six special forces brigades and one oversea deployment group. They receive special training for various unconventional warfare missions. These seven units began to be established from 1958 and fall under the jurisdiction of the Special Warfare Command, which was established in 1969. ROK special forces brigades primary tasks include guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, direct action, collecting information in enemy territory and carrying out special missions. Members of these brigades undergo specialized training in weapons handling and parachuting. Each brigade has about 600 personnel distributed in four battalions, with each battalion having three companies and each company having five teams of 10 personnel. Units of the command include: 1st Special Forces Brigade 'Eagle' - founded on April 1, 19581st Battalion2nd Battalion3rd Battalion5th Battalion 3rd Special Forces Brigade 'Flying Tiger' - founded on January 1, 196911st Battalion12nd Battalion13rd Battalion15th Battalion Oversea deployment Group 'Whole World' -founded on February 19, 1969 as 5th Special Forces Brigade, reorganized on June 1, 200021st Battalion22nd Battalion23rd Battalion25th Battalion 7th Special Forces Brigade 'Pegasus' - founded on October 1, 197431st Battalion32nd Battalion33rd Battalion35th Battalion 9th Special Forces Brigade 'Ghost' - founded on October 1, 197451st Battalion52nd Battalion53rd Battalion55th Battalion 11th Special Forces Brigade 'Golden Bat' - founded on July 1, 197761st Battalion62nd Battalion63rd Battalion65th Battalion 13th Special Mission Brigade 'Black Panther' - founded on July 1, 1977, reorganized as the "decapitation unit" as of 201771st Battalion72nd Battalion73rd Battalion75th Battalion 707th Special Mission Battalion 'White Tiger' - founded on 17 April, 1981 Special Warfare School Assassination BrigadeDue to rapidly increasing threats from the North, South Korea announced the upcoming establishment of a newly formed special forces brigade by the end of 2017. Their sole role would be focused on assassinating high-ranking members of the DPRK's leadership. Tasked with the "Decapitation Missions" the new brigade consisting of roughly 1,000 members would be formed by the end of 2017 and would be deployed directly to Pyongyang in an event of a war on the Korean peninsula. This was seen as part of South Korea's continued development of their own pre-emptive strike protocol. The 13th Brigade was selected to be reorganized and rearmed as a "decapitation unit", numbering around 1,000 soldiers. The launch of the special brigade was originally scheduled for 2019, but the advancement of the nuclear and missile capabilities of the North has progressed faster than expected. On Dec. 1, 2017, the unit was created as planned. The existing 13th Special Forces Brigade was reorganized into a Special Mission Brigade and held its founding ceremony. The new unit will be equipped with special weapons capable of underwater and ground combat operations, a special rifle for grenade launchers and other means of transport suitable for air, sea and underwater infiltration such as special operation transport aircraft. It was reported that the elite United States naval special missions unit DEVGRU, also known as SEAL Team 6, will provide training and have an advisory role to help the brigade prepare for its assassination missions. Selection and trainingThe special forces operators within the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command serve longer than the usual military conscripts within the ROKA. The service term lasts 4 years and 3 months in comparison with the usual 1 year and 9 months for a typical conscript in the regular army. This includes the 3 months of training that all recruits must undergo before becoming attached to a specific brigade. Those who wish to remain in service for longer than the set term may do so. During the first month of training, recruits will have to undergo a strenuous physical test to ensure they are physically capable of fulfilling their role. This will include 25km runs across mountainous terrain with a 30kg load out under timed conditions as well as daily fitness regimes to weed out physically incapable recruits. Firearms training and weapons handling training will naturally be integrated throughout the 3-month training period. Due to the nature of the Korean warfare tactics, operators will be taught two main methods of infiltration into North Korea: aerial infiltration and naval infiltration which includes, for example, High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) training and SCUBA training. The aim of this part of the training is to make the operators as versatile as possible to ensure that they can tackle the difficult Korean terrain. On the ground they will undergo mountaineering training as well as survival training which involves them surviving without communications and limited supplies for up to a week. Resistance to interrogation training is also employed by the organization. This has led to several deaths such as one recruit dying from suffocation while being put in a typical stress position for several hours during captivity training. Moreover, sub-zero training is enforced during the winter which involves recruits being fully submerged in ice-cold water and carrying out physical training drills in the snow without their tops. Evergreen unitThe Evergreen Unit (Korean: ?????) is an ad hoc, all-volunteer, amalgamated ROK Army unit (usually of battalion strength), composed of various members of the South Korean military (including infantry, combat support elements such as engineers and medics, ROK Special Forces and the ROK Marine Corps.), trained specifically for conducting worldwide security operations and rendering humanitarian assistance during ad hoc overseas deployments and UN Peacekeeping Operations. SomaliaThe South Korean military participated in UN-led Peacekeeping Operations for the first time ever when it activated and deployed the "Evergreen" unit in the summer of 1993 to Somalia for the purpose of overseas reconstruction and humanitarian work. The Evergreen unit is an amalgamated ROK Army battalion-sized engineering unit (named after Korea's ubiquitous perennial conifers), activated for the first time on June 30, 1993 specifically for the Somali PKO deployment. The battalion-sized element, consisting of 504 men (rotated annually), participated in repairing roads and rendering humanitarian assistance during the crisis in Somalia at the time. By the time their mission ended in September 1994, the Evergreen unit deployed some 2,700 men and 1,300 pieces of equipment, successfully linking Balad and Zohar via a rebuilt road, and effectively cooperating with U.S. forces in building another road from Balad to Afgoa. East TimorOn August 30, 1999, a UN-mandated referendum for independence in East Timor was held, in which 78.5 percent of the electorate opted for independence. However, indigenous militias who opposed East Timor's independence caused devastating violence. Accordingly, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to grant installation of the International Forces in East Timor (INTERFET), and the UN Secretary General together with the government of Australia officially requested the South Korean government's participation, in addition to other UN-member nations such as Indonesia, who agreed to the deployment of the multinational forces and actively requested the participation of Asian nations. In response to the international request to maintain security and restore order, the South Korean government authorized the formation of a second Evergreen Unit. With a battalion strength of 419 personnel—201 from ROK Special Forces with the balance of personnel from transportation, supply, communications, and medical specialties—the Evergreen unit arrived in Lautem, East Timor on 1 October 1999. Upon their arrival, the area was still reeling from post-election violence and 40 per cent of the island's built-up infrastructure—including markets, schools and housing—had been destroyed by rioters. The population of 50,000 had dropped to 20,000 as a result of refugee movement in response to the widespread violence. Shortly thereafter, the 2nd Evergreen Unit formally initiated operations on 22 October 1999 in Lospalos, East Timor. Using its security component, detached from the 5th Special Forces brigade, Special Warfare Command, the Evergreen's area of responsibility covered just 12% of East Timor's land mass. After a six-month deployment that ended on 28 April 2000, the original 419 members of the Korean battalion returned to Korea after conducting a two-week-long, in-theater handover and orientation for their replacements. In February 2002, the battalion was redeployed to the Oeucci enclave to continue peacekeeping operations. In April, 2003, an additional 250-strong element from the 8th ROK BATT, deployed for a six-month peacekeeping mission in Oecussi, East Timor. In addition to security operations, the unit engaged in public relations and election-related work, including voter registration, and humanitarian assistance. Relationship with SOCKORThe members of the ROK Special Forces Brigades train and work in close partnership with members of the United States Special Operations Forces in defense of the Republic of Korea. U.S. SOF in Korea are under the command and control of Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) which is a sub-unified command assigned under the Combatant Command (COCOM) of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and further delegated to the Operational Command of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Commander. SOKOR Special Operations Command Korea or SOCKOR, the United States (U.S.) Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC) in the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a Sub-Unified Command assigned under the Combatant Command (COCOM) of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), who delegated Operational Command (OPCON) of SOCKOR to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Commander, who further delegated OPCON of SOCKOR to the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Commander. SOCKOR focuses on readiness and the ability to fight in defense of the Korean peninsula and the U.S.-ROK Alliance. This is accomplished through several means, ranging from individual and unit readiness and training to continuous updates and validation of operational plans, and participation in Joint Chiefs of Staff and other exercises. During armistice, crisis, and conflict, SOCKOR serves as the headquarters for command and control of all U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) assets in Korea, develops supporting plans, and works together with the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command (ROK SWC) and United Nations (U.N.) SOF in support of the Commander, United Nations Command (UNC)/ Combined Forces Command (CFC)/ United States Forces Korea (USFK) in order to deter aggression and promote stability in the region. On order, SOCKOR combines with ROK SWC to form the Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force (CUWTF) and the Commander, SOCKOR also becomes the United Nations Command Special Operations Component (UNCSOC) Commanding General to conduct special operations in support of the Commander, UNC/CFC/USFK efforts to defeat external threats and restore stability. Prior to 1988, management of Special Operations Forces in Korea fell to United States Forces Korea (USFK) Joint Operations (J3), Special Operations Division-Korea (SOD-K). The concept of a permanent TSOC in Korea began to take shape in 1983, growing on 1 October 1988 to the creation of a special operations element within the USFK J3. Colonel James Estep, the first Commander, also served as Chief, J3 SOD-K and Deputy Commander, Combined Operations (C-3,) SOD-K. This dual-hatted command continued until July 1995. Colonel Skip Booth separated this special operations element from USFK J3 SOD, establishing it as an independently functioning command. The name of this element changed to SOCKOR to begin to align with the other TSOCS, and the staff began transforming SOCKOR into a separate sub-unified command under the operational control of the Commander, United States Forces Korea (COMUSFK). In 2000, SOCKOR was recognized as a fully operational TSOC and the billet for the commander of SOCKOR was elevated to Brigadier General, mirroring the other TSOCs. SOCKOR has been commanded by a General Officer since 2000. Since inception, SOCKOR has been the only TSOC in which U.S. and host nation SOF are institutionally organized for combined operations. SOCKOR and ROK SWC regularly train in their combined roles, while SOCKOR’s Special Forces Detachment-39 works as the full-time liaison between ROK SF and U.S. SOF. In armistice, the CG of SOCKOR is responsible for the planning, training, and execution of all U.S. SOF activities in Korea. The SOCKOR CG also serves as the senior advisor to COMUSFK regarding all U.S. SOF issues. If the armistice fails, SOCKOR and ROK SWC will combine to establish the Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force under the Combined Forces Command. SOCKOR is then also designated as the United Nations Command Special Operations Component under the United Nations Command, with the SOCKOR Commanding General serving as the UNCSOC Commanding General. Headquarters and leadershipSOCKOR is located at Camp Kim in Seoul, South Korea and the Commanding General, since April 2016, is Air Force Brig Gen Tony Bauernfeind.
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Location: New Kensington, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2023-10-26T01:11:48.000Z
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