Malaysian Special Forces
From counter-guerilla warfare to ship boardings—four specialized units!
Malaysia is a country home to a diverse population of Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. In addition to the Malay Peninsula, Malaysia incorporates the states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo. These two states are approximately 400 miles from the mainland of Malaysia. Sabah is interesting from the point of view of special ops forces, as tribesmen from Sarawak are renowned as trackers and have been used by the British SAS (Special Air Service). Malaysia is rich in natural resources and has a booming economy, which makes it an appealing target for terrorists and other aggressors.
GGK
The principal special ops unit of the Malaysian Army is 21 Grup Gerak Khas (GGK), a brigade-sized formation that controls Special Forces battalions. The GGK is the administrative and command element while the three Special Forces battalions (sometimes designated regiments) are the “teeth” units. The 11th Regiment Gerak Khas functions as the special forces regiment and is organized into four saber squadrons assigned hostage rescue, counter-revolutionary warfare, direct action, and so on. Before attempting selection for the 11th Regiment, personnel must have eight years of service in one of the kommando regiments. The other two regiments (battalions) are 21 and 22 Kommando regiments that are trained for long-range recon, sabotage, covert ops, airborne assault, and amphibious assault. Although each of the special forces battalions is trained for an array of special ops missions including guerilla and counter-guerilla warfare, escape and evasion, subversion and sabotage, and counterterrorism; the unit is especially renowned for its jungle warfare expertise and special ops units around the world send personnel to train with the GGK in jungle warfare.
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