Commando Corps (Earent)

The Commando Corps is the special forces of the Royal Earentian Ground Forces. It is one of the three principal units tasked with special operations in Earent (the others being the Maritime Special Operations Forces (EAMARSOF) of the Royal Earentian Marines and the Counter Terror Unit (CTU) of the Royal Gendarmes), and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from the full spectrum of special operations, including counter-terrorism overseas.

Selection and training

The Commando Corps accepts applications from both actively serving army personnel (infantry) and civilians. To conform to the recruitment guidelines of the Royal Earentian Ground Forces, the Corps accepts both men and women but due to the extreme conditions during the selection, it has been deemed impossible for women to complete the entire trajectory.

Phase zero In order to be considered for the Corps, all civilian and military candidates must participate in a three-day try-out. This try-out is to test each individual's physical and mental stamina, monitored by the Corps cadre and Defense psychologists, who will make a profile of each participant. The try-out's lay-out is kept secret, as a means to see how participants cope with sudden changes and stress. Military candidates additionally require certain military skills such as forced marches, obstacle course and speed march at a set time with medium load.

Phase one Once positively considered, candidates continue to the psychological and medical screening, and if these are met with positive outcomes, they commence with initial training. Civilian candidates will be taken to a 17-week Air Assault school indoctrination with the Air Assault Brigade, as a means to firmly prepare them with basic military skills and drills. Military candidates will skip this part, and start with the 8-week "warm-up" as a preparation for the elementary commando course (ECC), which is the selection. Civilian candidates fresh out of the Air Assault School will join the military candidates here and train together towards 8–9 weeks.

Phase two With an attrition rate of 80-95% for experienced military personnel and 95-100% for civilian candidates, the ECC serves as the final training phase and selection. Though secretive, one can think of almost continuous physical and mental conditioning. Most of the 8–9 weeks is done outside of Bloyben, and some parts in the highlands and mountains. The final week is the culmination exercise, "hell week", which is 5 days of continuous activity including escape and evasion, forced marches and speed marches, coupled with sleep deprivation. It concludes with a final forced march carrying full load to the Corps headquarters. There, the remaining candidates are awarded with the black beret.

Phase three Passing out on the ECC grants temporary right to wear the green beret, and so the prospective operator continues with the operator training course. This lasts as much as 12 months and trains the prospective operator in the full spectrum of special operations. The Commando operator is a counter-terrorism specialist, and is also trained as either a medic, a demolitions expert or sniper. New operational team leaders and senior NCOs will be trained as communications specialists. In addition, Commando teams each have a specialization that is either operating in mountains (above the tree line), underwater or deployment by HAHO/HALO parachute. Each prospective operator will thus receive further training on team level when assigned to his team. By this stage, the operator is granted permanent right to wear the green beret. Eventually the operator will also complete the Counter Terrorism Course (CT).

Tasks

To prepare and to conduct all conceivable missions from the full spectrum of Special Operations such as :

• Long Range Reconnaissance / Intelligence gathering
• Overseas Counter Terrorism
• Offensive operations to protect national and allied territory
• Peace-Keeping Operations
• Direct Action:
  • Neutralization
  • Capture
  • Sabotage
  • Destruction of enemy infrastructure
  • Saving civilians and military personnel who are taken hostage

Not specifically belonging to Special Operations but also not unimportant :

• Train indigenous Forces
• Providing support to Main-Forces
• Protection of coalition troops
• Humanitarian Aid
• Combat Search and Rescue
• Non-combatant evacuations