The Army Special Operations Brigade is a special forces unit of the Kenyan Army, tasked with airborne operations, commando raids, reconnaissance, counter-insurgency, infiltration and other specialized forms of warfare.
Overview
This is the umbrella body of specialized units in the Kenya Army tasked with special operations based at Gilgil, Naivasha. The brigade forms part of Kenya Special Forces with other specialized units from the Kenya Air Force and Kenya Navy. These units consist of the 20th Parachute Battalion, 30th Special Forces and 40th Rangers Strike Force. The 20th Parachute Battalion is the regiment's oldest unit formed on March 17, 1983 and presented with its Regimental and Presidential Colours during the 1990 Jamhuri Day celebrations. However the plan to set up the unit was mooted immediately Kenya gained its independence when on October 14, 1964 forty officers were sent to Britain for Parachute Basic Training Course at Royal Air Force Base, Abingdon.
The unit can therefore trace its roots to the 1st Independent Parachute Company that was established on April 24, 1965. The '20 paras' are assigned and equipped for high-risk special operations and the battalion is largely geared towards high-intensity conflicts. Its 'D' Company however was formed with American assistance post 9/11 with an emphasis on counter-insurgency to help combat terror groups within Eastern Africa. The 30th Special Forces and 40th Rangers Strike Force are newer units within the army tasked with special operations in low-intensity conflicts. They were formed with a clear aim of having units within the Kenya Defence Forces that are capable of special operations against terror groups most notably Al Shabab in Southern Somalia and North Eastern Kenya. A newer unit tasked with long-range reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines known as Long Range Surveillance Unit is also thought to have been formed. Notably this little known unit is thought to be independently run by Kenya's Directorate of Military Intelligence and thus not under Army Special Operations Brigade. It is also unclear whether the army's 50th Air Cavalry Battalion based separately at Embakasi Garrison is found within this regiment.
Training
All operators within the Army Special Operations Brigade undergo training at the Special Operations Training School (SOTS) in Naivasha before undergoing further specialized training abroad and locally with friendly foreign forces. The 20th Paras largely provides the pool of recruits to both the Rangers and Special Forces units and as such it is viewed as the true first port of call for all potential recruits. The Paras undergo traditional airborne training at an independent Parachute Training School (PTS) and are geared towards fighting high-intensity conflicts with insertion behind enemy lines through airborne jumps. The SOTS runs as an independent arm within the regiment and it is filled with local trainers who graduated from the first batch at the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center at Fort Benning. Upon successful completion of the course the pioneer class numbering around 100 formed the first company of the unit. This batch would form the company's mid-level leaders and trainers at SOTS with the first locally trained class graduating on 18 March 2011. The 40th RSF training curriculum is modeled along the United States Army Rangers basic and advanced light infantry course and is thought to be more inclined towards a commando unit rather than special forces. This training curriculum includes field intelligence, command and control, basic manoeuvre and firepower. Rangers spend three weeks in Isiolo, a further three weeks in Mount Kenya for high altitude training before moving to Manda Bay.