Pasukan Komando Indonesia

Pasukan Komando Indonesia
Indonesian Commando Forces

As a usual commando forces in the world, feels so indorent just to imagine it. Profile that commonly publish by the foreign media as a horrifying, brutal, sadist, and un-humane. British media call SAS (Special Air Service) as savage and sadistic. But, this controversial frame not endlessly inspiring Hollywood people.

Tight qualification with the missions that commonly entering the country most secret area, causing commando forces headquarter mostly looking as very limited and restricted area. Terrifying image strongly attached. These forces often make jealousy from other forces because their extraordinary facility, surely, one detachment with high demolition capability.

From the history, the idea to make “small” forces can be found from anti-thesis thinking of British military expert Liddell Hart (1920-1930) on thesis from Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian military thinker. Hart underlining flexibility factor and element of surprise from relatively small forces, special, well-armored, fast on the move also attack with enormous power and act as a core from every forces, than useless frontal attack from huge forces. Because a war objective, according to Hart, is to conquer enemy strength with minimize economy and human casualty.


History has also born important doctrine. Special Forces then support the country supremacy. For the US there is Navy Seal, Army Ranger, Delta Force and US Special Forces. British have Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS), Russia famous with their Spesnatz.

In Indonesia, this kind of forces was posses by army (Kopassus), navy (Marine) and air force (Paskhas). Inside of it, usually, there is a small unit with high combat ability. Kopassus call it Sat-81/ Anti-Terror; Marine legends Detachment Jala Mangkara (Denjaka) and Paskhas form Detachment Bravo-90.

Like other commando forces in the world, secrecy strongly covers Indonesian commando forces. Weren’t many known about the qualification, arms, and mission, also their movement. Then, beside these forces describe like an invisible ghost, their activity often smeared with bad issue. Whereas, it comes from some people demand, like a soldier which can’t deny his superior order.

A soldier, to confess as a commando soldier, must pass long and tiring road. Monthly, they train intensively on physic and mental, teach to fight and attack from the sea, land and air. The training was so hard and brutal sometimes making knee shake, permanently defect or even death. This was needed because a commando force is a main element in the land battle. Commando forces also using real bullet when they trained to know about the shooting accuracy and precision.

The personnel must also trained in very extreme conditions so that they will endure to the nature torture (hot and cold), first world war has been giving valuable learn to the war strategical expert not to underestimate weather when staging a forces. Just for reminding, 60.000 soldier died coldness before and after war in Alpen Mountain during First World War. Also in Second World War, when astonishing Hitler’s armed forces must retreat and defeated in Russian land because the German commander is to confident and miscalculate about the extreme weather that happen in Russia.