Malaysian Special Operations Force
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Malaysian SOF (Special Operations Force) is a multi service force tasked with a counter-terrorism mission. It consists of the 10 Paratrooper Brigade, Grup Gerak Khas (GGK), Pasukan Khas Laut (PASKAL), Pasukan Khas Udara (PASKAU), Pasukan Gerakan Khas (PGK) and a newly created police maritime special forces unit known as Unit Selam Tempur (UST).
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[edit] Introductions
The six elements of Malaysia's Special Operations Force have been tasked with the important objective of maintaining Malaysia's security, specifically in combating terrorism. A mission especially important in the wake of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and in a climate of global terrorism which would see the later bombing of the tourist centre of Bali and the J.W. Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, bombings and murders in Southern Thailand and the bomb explosions in railway stations and transit systems of Madrid and London. Malaysia's security agencies eagerly studied the lessons to be learnt from all such incidents so as to prepare to deal with similar terrorism, in the event that the terrorists agenda should see them target the Malaysian homeland. Malaysia maintains a high level of security and to date no similar terrorist atrocities have occurred.
Previously the only incidents with possible links to Islamic terrorism have been the detonation of a small bomb in Kuala Lumpur's Puduraya bus station and more significantly the 2000 Sauk raid[1] by Al-Ma'unah militants, an audacious raid to steal weapons from a military base to arm an Islamic insurrection.[2] This attempted insurrection was swiftly defeated, the result of the close co-operation and relationship of the government, private agencies and society as a whole. A co-operation and relationship born from the initiatives that from 1948 to 1989 defeated the communist insurgents of the Malayan Emergency and the later Communist Insurgency War. The Malaysian peoples eager not to suffer for a third time in their history a repeat of the previous insurgencies and terrorism.
In assessing the tactics, strength, equipment, personnel and abilities as a whole of these Malaysian special forces, they are the equal in competence with the special forces teams of Indonesia, Britain and theUnited States. In fact, since being raised Malaysian forces have been involved with such teams on an international level, for example whilst being part of United Nations peace keeping missions.
[edit] Identities
[edit] 10 Paratrooper Brigade
10 Paratrooper Brigade is an elite rapid deployment brigade which is a branch of Malaysian Army. This was then merged by other infantry elements including 3 battalions, 1 artillery regiment, 1 armor squadron and 11 supporting units.
While primarily tasked with rapid deployment, it is also involved in the fight against terrorism but in a different manner. This is because the operational tasks for the 10th Para involves the convergence of conventional warfare tactics requiring a high number of personnel and equipment. This includes amphibian warfare and airborne operations, just to name a few. 10 Para is not considered as a special operations unit, but elite ie, US Rangers. The paratrooper force consists of male and some female paratroopers.
[edit] Grup Gerak Khas
Grup Gerak Khas (English: Special Force Group) is the main entity element in Royal Malaysian Army. It is basically a commando regiment in the Malaysian Army Corps. The mission of the GGK is to provide a squadron to locate, report, harass and disrupt the enemy through long range infiltration as well as operating in close collaboration with guerrilla or partisan forces. GGK will also plan, prepare for, and when directed, deploy to conduct unconventional warfare, internal defense, special reconnaissance and direct actions etc. in support of Government policy objectives within designated areas of responsibility.
GGK continuously trains to conduct unconventional warfare in any of its forms - Guerrilla / Anti-Guerrilla Warfare, Escape and Evasion, Subversion, Sabotage, Counter-Terrorist and their most highly regarded expertise - Jungle Warfare. They have a great reputation in operations against the communist terrorists. The troopers are also schooled in direct action operations and special reconnaissance. Currently, there are 3 fully equipped regiments (21st, 22nd & 11th GGK). GGK had seen action in Cambodia, Somalia, western Sahara, Namibia and Bosnia among others. Most recently GGK has also been involved with peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and East Timor.
[edit] PASKAL
The Royal Malaysian Navy also has the elite force to secure the Malaysian maritime especially Malacca Straits from intruders and terrorists. This unit is known as Naval Special Forces (In Malay: Pasukan Khas Laut, a.k.a PASKAL) by its Malay acronym in 1980. The unit was established using commando-trained officers and men from the Security Regiment. The first batch were trained by Komando Pasukan Katak or called KOPASKA, the naval special forces from Indonesia. In first establishment in the year 1975, the role of this team is similarly with coast guard whereby it was assigned to secure the RMN vessels, and the beach which near with forest which can bared from some desertions the communist terrorist which able to escaped to next country on the sea.
PASKAL trains regularly and has an excellent relationship with the US Navy SEALs and US Navy SEALs. Some PASKAL operators have also been sent to the SEALs training center. PASKAL now is a highly competent special forces unit with responsibilities to secured the all strategic areas and now conducting in other counter-terrorism operations in cargo shipments, oil rigs and the town. Some of its personnel are stationed in man-made 'islands' in the Spratlys and in strategic areas within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). PASKAL is equipped with the latest hi-tech weaponry as they are also funded by a group of oil consortium (one of the PASKAL's main missions is to protect oil rigs in Malaysian waters).
PASKAL was also involved with the Malaysian UN force in Lebanon.
[edit] PASKAU
The Royal Malaysian Air Force once had a special operations force which abilities to secure the RMAF strategic airbase which known as Air Force Special Operations (Pasukan Khas Udara, PASKAU). In first establishment, the name of this unit is known as HANDAU (English:Air Force Defense, Pertahanan Udara) and that a moment it was not had the role as the counter-terrorism units. The tentative "special forces" designation is probably due to the unit's airborne capability. This units is established when after the covert attacks to RMAF strategic amenities in Sungai Besi by agents of Malayan Communist Party.
With the very important requirement level as the special forces were given to the unit for secure the amenity and RMAF airbase and also civil airport including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) if it needed if earned some attacker and hijacker to RMAF owned amenity and aircraft or civil aircraft. The GGK army commando were also roped in to join this unit at is formations. Nowadays, PASKAU had the three branches including Tactical Assault Squadron (Skuadron Sayap Tempur – SST, CT force), Combat Air Rescue Team (Skuadron Penyelamat Tempur Udara – SPTU, CSAR units) and Force Protection Teams (Skuadron Kawalan Medan – SKM, Base-protections team). The unit conducted with special training technic and rescue missions, especially rescue operations the downed pilot behind the enemy lines or hostile territory, but they much more was very popular with life-saving services to the civilians (courtesy flights etc.). Other than that, Regimen TUDM may also search and eliminate enemy troops who execute sabotage against RMAF air bases.
[edit] Pasukan Gerakan Khas
In those days of communist insurgency, the Royal Malaysian Police had a paramilitary arm called Pasukan Polis Hutan (PPH). They had several battalions and among them was the elite one, known as 69th Commando Battalion or VAT 69. It was actually formed in 1969 (hence the name - 69). The normal police too had an elite unit - Unit Tindakan Khas (UTK). UTK had a SWAT-like function as well as close protection roles. After the communist terrorist laid down arms in 1989, VAT 69 had problems finding a proper role. Finally on October 1997, the PPH was renamed as Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) while UTK and 69th Commando Battalion was merged. It was then called Pasukan Gerakan Khas (PGK).
All officers and men's of PGK were ever conduct the special training from United States (besides Australia, Britain and New Zealand SAS) including special investigators, counter-terrorist experts, risk, special demolitions, airborne and much more. The Pasukan Gerakan Khas police counter-terrorist ever involved in anti-terror operations in Malaysia, exampled the arms rebellions from Al Ma'unah terrorist militia led by Mohamed Amin Razali. The police special force which together with Grup Gerak Khas were success to tracked down the rebellion. Beside that, the unit were also take over the 10 Para and GGK duties in Timor Leste after the terrorism in the country is calmed down.
[edit] Unit Selam Tempur
Combat Diving Unit or Unit Selam Tempur is a newly maritime anti-terror special forces which established in March 2006 and there were under control to marine police of RMP. The unit which special trained by VAT 69 PGK and US Navy SEALs were tasked to secure the Malaysia maritime especially Malacca Straits and Sulu Sea from some threats in the seabed, especially the piracy activities or smugglers and cooperations with naval elite units and coast guard.
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