The Parachute Regiment, colloquially known as the Paras, is the airborne and elite infantry regiment of the British Army. The first battalion is part of the Special Forces Support Group under the operational command of the Director Special Forces. The other battalions are the parachute infantry component of the British Army's rapid response formation, 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Paras, along with the Guards, are the only line infantry regiment of the British Army that has not been amalgamated with another unit since the end of the Second World War.
The Pathfinder Platoon is a pathfinder unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Pathfinder Platoon acts as the brigade's advance force and reconnaissance force. Its role includes locating and marking drop zones and helicopter landing zones for air landing operations. Once the main force has landed, the platoon provides tactical intelligence and offensive action roles for the brigade.
The All Arms Commando Course (AACC) lasts for 13 weeks and is run by the Royal Marines at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone. Members from any of the United Kingdom's Regular Armed Forces and overseas exchange personnel can attend to serve with 3 Commando Brigade. On completion of the course the successful candidate earns the right to wear the green beret, and to wear the "Commando Dagger" on their uniform. The Royal Marines expect that nearly half of the volunteers will drop out or be dismissed before completing the AACC. The primary aim of the course is to give service personnel the core military skills necessary for Extremely and Very High readiness Commando and Littoral Strike operations.
Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), Informally referred to As Para-Commandos, is a group of special forces battalions of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian Army. These units specialize in various roles including counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, direct action, hostage rescue, special reconnaissance and unconventional warfare.
The 10th Parachute Brigade, abbreviated as 10 PARA BDE, is an elite division-sized hybrid airborne-marine unit within the Malaysian Army. It is tasked with rapid reaction forces inside or outside the boundaries of Malaysia and serves as the key element of the Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force.
UK Joint Special Forces Selection is the selection and training process for candidates of the United Kingdom Special Forces: Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment. Members of the SAS and SBS undergo selection up to the award of a sand-coloured beret to SAS personnel, whereupon SBS candidates undergo further selection to qualify as Swimmer Canoeists, and SAS personnel undergo further specialist training. SRR candidates undergo the Aptitude Phase, before going on to their own specialist covert surveillance & reconnaissance training.
The 323rd Parachute Ranger Squadron or Fallskärmsjägarna is a Swedish military special operations capable airborne ranger unit specialising in long-range reconnaissance.
The Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) is Canada’s full spectrum special operation force unit mandated with protecting Canadian national interests abroad.
The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. It was first worn by the Parachute Regiment in action in North Africa during November 1942.
The Regimento de Paraquedistas, based in Tancos, Portugal, is a unit of the Portuguese Army and serves as the instruction center for recruitment and training of the Portuguese paratroopers. This unit includes an entire battalion, acting as support and reserve for airborne units which contains for example, military war dogs and airborne pathfinders and an instruction battalion responsible for the forming of new paratroopers.
The Special Forces Group is the special forces unit in the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces.
The 202nd Coastal Ranger Company is an marines commandos unit within the Swedish Amphibious Corps, which is the infantry marines arm of the Swedish Navy.
The Commando Parachute Group is a unit of elite pathfinders within the French Army's 11th Parachute Brigade. These pathfinders are paratroopers drawn from the various regiments of the brigade who then undertake GCP training and must pass various requirements. Referred to as "commandos paras", they numbered less than 250 men in 2015 out of the more than 8,000 paratroopers serving in the 11e BP. This unit doesn’t belong to French Special Forces but to 11 Parachute Brigade.
A loaded march is a relatively fast march over distance carrying a load and is a common military exercise.
The 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
Royal Marines recruit training is the longest basic modern infantry training programme of any Commonwealth, or North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) combat troops. The Royal Marines are the only part of the British Armed Forces where officers and other ranks are trained at the same location, the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone, Devon. Much of the basic training is carried out on the rugged terrain of Dartmoor and Woodbury Common with a significant proportion taking place at night.
Promo Parachutiste is the selection course which Legionnaires intending to join 2ème REP undergo at Camp Raffalli in Calvi, Haute-Corse.
1 Parachute Battalion is the only full-time paratroop unit of the South African Army. It was founded on 1 April 1961, along with the Parachute Battalion. The name of this unit was changed to Parachute Training Centre after 1998. It was the first battalion within 44 Parachute Brigade until 1999 when the brigade was downsized to 44 Parachute Regiment
The Namibian Special Forces is a special operations command of the Namibian Defence Force responsible for special forces component commands army and marines. The command consists of Namibian Army Commando and Paratrooper, and the Namibian Marine Corps Amphibious Special Operations Unit. The Army Commando specialize in air assault and airborne operations, capture or kill high-value targets, counterterrorism, direct action, hostage rescue, insertion behind enemy lines, executive protection, and special warfare operations, while the Marine Corps Amphibious Special Operations Unit specialize in amphibious warfare, direct action, executive protection, insertion behind enemy lines, maritime counterterrorism and hostage rescue, naval boarding, naval special warfare operations, operating that originate from a river, ocean, swamp and delta, and underwater demolition. The army units receive training assistance from former South African Special Forces (Recces) and the marine corps from the Brazilian Marine Corps. The units regularly participate in Southern African Development Community (SADC) special forces exercises.
The Basic Rapid Deployment Force Course is a four-week course conducted by the Malaysian Army as part of the pipeline for officers and soldiers who wish to join the Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force and the 10th Parachute Brigade. This course represents the final phase of a three-part series, following the preparatory course and the basic parachutist course. Typically held at Terendak Camp, Malacca, it concludes at Dataran Parawood, with the exception of 2021, when it concludes at the Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge. Following the elevation of the 10th Parachute Brigade's status as a hybrid airborne-marine unit in 2022 during the 89th Army Day, the course now concludes at the beach of Besar Island in Malacca.
