The Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army (Dutch: Koninklijke Landmacht).
History[]
Pre Twilight War[]
The Korps Commandotroepen can trace its history back to the Second World War and No.2 (Dutch) Troop of 10 (Inter Allied) Commando.[1] After the war, the Netherlands military organized its own Special Troops Regiment (Regiment Speciale Troepen) which included many veterans of 10 IA Commando. In 1950, after service in Indonesia fighting nationalist guerillas, the unit returned to the Netherlands and was renamed as Corps Commando Troops Korps Commandotroepen. The unit has battle honors for Arakan (1944), Nijmegen (1944), Eindhoven (1944), Vlissingen (1944), Westkapelle (1944), Djokjakarta (1948), and Central Sumatra (1948-1949).
1996[]
The KCT mobilized its active duty and reserve forces in July 1996 and by October fielded 3 operational squadrons (A, B, and C) with a further 3 squadrons (D, E, and F) forming. Each squadron had an initial strength of 96 commandos, which was achievable due to the number of former conscripts who could be recalled as reservists.
A Squadron was assigned to I NL Corps as a corps level reconaissance asset, B Squadron was deployed to the Caribbean to enhance security of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, and C Squadron was assigned to security operations against Soviet and Warsaw Pact intelligence services (including Spetsnaz assets) operating on Dutch soil. In December, the 3 reserve squadrons were declared operational. D Squadron was assigned to I NL Corps, E Squadron was assigned to security operations against Spetsnaz sabateurs, and F Squadron was assigned to personal protection of the Dutch royal family.
1997[]
1998[]
1999[]
2000[]
Surviving KCT personnel continue to operate against Franco-Belgian forces. The squadron structure has ceased to exist and individual patrols operate independently.
Operational role[]
The primary role of the Korps Commandotroepen was Commando Force Reconnaissance (Commando Waarnemer-verkenner) similar to that of [United States|US]] military LRRP. The unit's secondary role was Direct Action in the form of covert offensive actions. Tertiary roles include military assistance, cadre training, and combat search-and-rescue.
The unit is squadron (company) strength and organized into four operational troops (platoons). All are special ops capable, but each has a designated "team speciality": parachute troop, boat troop, mountain troop, and counterterrorist troop (similar to the specializations within British SAS squadrons).
Broken down into 8-man patrols, each patrol member has his own individual specialization for which he receives additional training (similar to the specializiations within a US Army Special Forces A-Team). Each 8-man patrol includes 2x demolition/engineer specialists, 2x medical specialists, 2x communication specialists, and 2x sniper/reconaissance specialists.
Equipment[]
Members of KCT wear a commando green beret, similar to that worn by British commando-qualified personnel and emulated by commando forces around the world. [1]
Members of KCT typically use standard Dutch/NATO small arms such as the Diemaco C8 carbine and the FN Minimi, but as special forces they can often be found using foreign non-standard weapons such as the French FAMAS or the various models of the Kalashnikov.
KCT armorers have adapted the basic model Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol to include a firing mechanism drainage modification which enables the pistol to fire reliably with water present in the firing pin housing. The modified pistol is designated the Glock 17M (the "M" is for Maritime). In all other respects, the pistol is a standard Glock 17 model (9x19mm, 17RD magazine).[2]