Kommando Spezialkräfte
| Special Operations Forces | |
|---|---|
| Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) | |
KSK unit badge | |
| Active | 20 September 1996 |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch | German Army |
| Type | Unified combatant command |
| Size | above 1,500 |
| Part of | Rapid Forces Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Calw, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Motto(s) | German: Der Wille entscheidet Latin: Facit Omnia Voluntas ("The will decides") |
| Engagements | Yugoslav Wars |
| Decorations | United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation for KSK members of the Task Force K-Bar |
| Website | Bundeswehr: Special Operations Forces (Kommando Spezialkräfte) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier General Alexander Krone |
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The Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) (English: Special Operations Forces (SOF), alternatively Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM)) is a unified combatant command and a large brigade-level unit of the German Army (Heer) designated to perform covert operations, capture or kill high-value targets, undertake counterterrorism and hostage rescue crisis management, manage decapitation attacks, direct action, executive protection, irregular warfare, ISTAR, quick maneuver military emergencies situation, special warfare, as well as act as a military advisor. The KSK is under the command and control of the Rapid Forces Division (DSK) when on routine duty and is stationed in the Graf Zeppelin barracks in Calw, Baden-Württemberg.
The British Special Air Service (SAS), the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the German Federal Police's GSG 9 (Grenzschutzgruppe 9) of the former Federal Border Protection (Bundesgrenzschutz) (BGS) served as models for the formation and alignment of the KSK.
The KSK has received decorations and awards from NATO, the United States, and its affiliates. KSK operatives have taken part in joint anti-terror operations, notably in the Balkans and Middle East.