Спецназ Иордании: История, структура и задачи

King Abdullah II Special Forces Group (العمليات الخاصة ورد الفعل السريع), commonly known as the JORSOF are strategic level special forces of the Royal Jordanian Army under the Jordanian Armed Forces. Founded on April 15, 1963, on the orders of the late King Hussein, its primary roles include reconnaissance, counter terrorism, search and evacuation, intelligence gathering combat, and the protection of key sites. The Special Forces Group are also charged with carrying out precision strikes against critical enemy targets. The unit is equipped and trained to be able to operate behind enemy lines for long periods without any logistical support, and is considered some of the best in the Middle East.

Since its establishment in 1963, the Jordanian special operations forces were meant to be flexible and dynamic, in order to successfully face the ever changing threats to Jordan national security. Their organizational structure has evolved significantly over the past half century, as internal and external threats changed. Jordanian special operations forces evolved from a multi task company size parachute unit in the early 1960s to brigade size in the early 1980s, with more specialized units, including a parachute unit, special forces unit and a small counter terrorism unit. With the beginning of this century and the emergence of new threats to national security, Jordan established paramilitary troops—the Gendarmerie. The new military force was, and remains, tasked with countering homeland security threats, thus allowing the Special Operations Forces to focus on homeland defense threats. Therefore, the concept changed accordingly, from special operations to joint special operations. The previous organization of the Royal Joint Special Operations consisted mainly of three main brigades with all standard support and service units that facilitate operations and training. The Special Forces Brigade consists of a special forces group, a counter terrorism battalion, and a combat search and rescue battalion. This brigade is mainly equipped and trained to successfully fight unconventional threats, with a good capability to also face conventional ones. The Rangers Brigade is more geared towards fighting conventional threats, with good capabilities to support internal security operations. The Special Operations Aviation Brigade provides the joint task forces with mobility, timely response capabilities, and insertion platforms, especially for the counter terrorism teams.

The Jordanian JSOC tasks before the reform in 2017, the reform which will clarify the objectives of the Jordanian special forces and articulate a vision for the role of special forces in future counter terrorism operations.

Occupying airborne bridge head to assist ground forces. Conducting raids on enemy HQs, artillery sites, missile sites, roads and any other significant key targets. Airborne and air assault operations. Armor hunting. Strategic reconnaissance missions. Organizing, training and developing guerrilla forces. Operating behind enemy lines. Assaulting captive cells and freeing POWs. Urban area operations. Readiness to assist any Arab brethren countries upon request. Search and rescue operation.

Counter terrorism operations. Counter infiltration and smuggling. Internal security operations.

Provide rangers and paratrooper training to JAF units. Provide officers and NCO's from Arab countries with special operations and ranger courses. Train public security and customs department officers. Participate in training courses held in Arab countries.

Participate in UN missions. Assist in training friendly forces. Evacuation operations in time of disasters.

The King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) is an installation located in Amman, Jordan that specializes in the latest counter terrorism, special operations and irregular warfare tactics, techniques and procedures. The base was built by a U. S. construction firm on land donated by the King of Jordan and paid for by the U. S. Defense Department Foreign Military Sales programme, part of the 2005 special appropriation. Management of the construction was undertaken by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. By 2009, the center had been made operational. The center is managed by experienced active and retired special forces personnel

Enrollment in the Jordan armed forces is on a voluntary basis, and this is obviously also true for the special operations. The first requirement for those willing to join the special operations is that they should successfully pass physical and mental fitness tests. From a psychological point of view, applicants are evaluated by a military psychologist in order to assess their personal and leadership traits. Then, applicants undergo a medical screening and an initial PT test. Those who make it through this preliminary selection phase are admitted to an endurance camp (boot camp) for a month of extensive training. The camp is designed to test trainees’ ability to work under physical and mental stress. Upon completing the camp, recruits take ranger and parachute courses. After this second phase, they are sent to specialized courses to complete their military professional training.

Special Forces Group and QRF Brigade wear MultiCam, Maroon berets. Some Special Unit II teams wear Full Black Pattern.