Netherlands Special Operations Command

Military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Netherlands Special Operations Command

The Netherlands Special Operations Command (NLD SOCOM) is a joint command of the Netherlands Armed Forces which is responsible for the planning, command and control, execution and evaluation of all operations conducted by the Dutch special operations forces, the Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) and the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces (NLMARSOF).[1]

Quick Facts Active, Country ...
Netherlands Special Operations Command
Thumb
Emblem of NLD SOCOM
Active5 December 2018; 6 years ago (2018-12-05)
Country Netherlands
TypeJoint command
Special operations forces
RoleSpecial operations
Part of Chief of Defence
HQThe Hague
Nickname(s)NLD SOCOM
Commanders
Current
commander
Major general Ron Smits
Close

History

The establishment of a joint command that would unify the SOF units of the armed forces had been subject of debate for numerous years. The increasing demand for the deployment of SOF added in the 15 years prior to the establishment of a joint command added to this discussion. Therefore, a task force SOCOM was established in 2017 under the command of lieutenant general Hans Wehren which was due to transform into an operational command.[2] On 5 December 2018, the command was formally founded with a ceremony at Gilze-Rijen Air Base.[3] NLD SOCOM reached full operational capability on 2 October 2020.[4]

Organisation

Summarize
Perspective

NLD SOCOM is an operational staff and placed under direct command of the Chief of Defence due to the strategic impact of its operations. Although NLD SOCOM is responsible for deployments, the SOF units (KCT and NLMARSOF) administratively remain part of their respective branches, the Royal Netherlands Army and the Royal Netherlands Navy.[1]

NLD SOCOM cooperates closely with the special operations commands of Denmark (SOKOM) and Belgium (SOR) in the Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC). The C-SOCC is a tri-national NATO expeditionary SOF headquarters; in 2021 the C-SOCC is responsible for all SOF efforts of the NATO Response Force (NRF21).[5] Within the C-SOCC, the Netherlands is the lead nation of the Composite Special Operations Air Task Group (C-SOATG).[6] In addition, the Netherlands and Belgium will provide a joint Composite Special Operations Maritime Task Group (C-SOMG) in 2026.[7]

The three primary units currently operating under NLD SOCOM command are:

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.