German special forces

The German special forces include the Special Operations Command ("Kommando Spezialkräfte", KSK) of the German Army and the Naval Special Forces Command ("Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine", KSM) of the German Navy. Both are regular units and fully integrated in the branches of the German Armed Forces. During operations, special forces are led by the special operations division of the Bundeswehr Joint Operations Command ("Einsatzführungskommando der Bundeswehr") in Potsdam, which belongs to the Joint Support Service ("Streitkräftebasis").
Beside KSK and KSM, there is a numerous of specialized units which are able to support special forces operations.
Special Forces.
Army Special Forces.
Most German special forces are part of the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) which was founded in 1996. The KSK is a brigade level unit and stationed in Calw. It is under the command of the Rapid Response Forces Division ("Division Schnelle Kräfte") and made up of around 1,100 soldiers. Most of them serve in the support forces department.
Naval Special Forces.
The Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine (KSM) was founded in 2014 and built around the Commando Frogmen Company ("Kampfschwimmerkompanie"), the oldest German special forces unit. The KSM is based in Eckernförde and is part of the 1st Flotilla ("Einsatzflottille 1") in Kiel.
Special Forces Aviation.
The KSK is currently supported by the German Army Aviation Corps and - since reorientation of the Bundeswehr in 2010 - by the helicopter force of the German Air Force. From 2015, the KSK gets its own aviation component made up of 15 EC645 T2 utility helicopters. They will be part of the Helicopter Wing 64 at the Holzdorf Air Base.
The KSM is supported by the Naval Air Wing 5 in Nordholz which operates the Westland Lynx and Westland Sea King.
Specialized Forces.
Special Operations Training Centre.
Originally established in 1979 as an international school for long-range reconnaissance patrol team, the Ausbildungszentrum Spezielle Operationen is responsible for initial and further training of special and specialized forces. The centre has the size of a regiment, is subordinate to Army Training Commando and based in Pfullendorf.
Specialized Forces Army.
In order to close the gap between the KSK and regular infantry, the German Army developed a concept of specialized forces (Specialized Forces of the Army with Expanded Basic Qualifications for Special Operations, EGB - "Spezialierte Kräfte des Heeres mit erweiteter Grundgefähigung für spezielle Operationen", EGB). This includes a numerous of army SOF units, mostly airborne forces. A distinction is made between the main operational forces and support forces. All of them are independent units respectively part of regular formations.
In 2013, the operational forces consists of:
The support force are made up of:
Fleet Protection Forces.
From 1997 until spring 2014, both naval special forces (commando frogmen) and naval specialized forces (mine clearance divers and boarding trained naval infantry men) were organized into the Naval Specialized Deployment Forces, a battalion-sized unit with four companies. The ideas was to combine all specialized skills into one single formation. At the beginning, it was planned to create a force protection company beside the Boarding Company to support operations of the commando frogmen.
Through the reorientation of the Bundeswehr, the commando frogmen got their own battaillon while naval infantry (including HUMINT experts) and mine clearance divers were summarized into the Naval Force Protection Battalion ("Seebataillon") in Eckernförde. The formation is often described as the "multi tool of the German Navy". So, the battalion is able to support special forces operations.
Counter-Terrorism.
GSG 9 der Bundespolizei (Border Protection Group 9 of the Federal Police), formerly "Grenzschutzgruppe 9", is the Police Tactical Unit of the German federal police. Their counterparts on the state level are the Special Deployment Commandos ("Spezialeinsatzkommandos").