HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Mobile Brigade Corps ( id, Korps Brigade Mobil) abbreviated Brimob is the
special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
,
paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
, and tactical unit of the
Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...
(Polri). It is one of the oldest existing units within Polri. Some of its main duties are
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...
,
riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irrat ...
, high-risk
law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
where the use of firearms are present,
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
,
hostage rescue A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...
, and
bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
operations. The Mobile Brigade Corps is a large component of the Indonesian National Police trained for counter-separatist and counter-insurgency duties, often in conjunction with military operations. The Mobile Brigade Corps consists of 2 (two) branches, namely Gegana and Pelopor. Gegana is tasked with carrying out more specific special police operations tasks such as: Bomb Disposal, CBR Handling (Chemistry, Biology, and Radioactivity), Anti-Terror (Counter Terrorism), and Intelligence. Meanwhile, the Pelopor are tasked with carrying out broader and
paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
special police operations tasks, such as: Riot control, Search and Rescue (SAR), security of vital installations, and guerrilla operations. The Mobile Brigade Corps are capable of other operations that support the performance of general police units. The Brimob Corps is classified as a
Police Tactical Unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. A police tactical unit's tas ...
(PTU) and is operationally a Police
Special Weapons and Tactics In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
(SWAT) unit (including Densus 88 and Gegana Brimob). Each regional police (Polda) in Indonesia has its own Mobile Brigade unit.


History

Formed in late 1945 as a special police corps named ''Pasukan Polisi Istimewa'' (Special Police Troops) with the task of disarming remnants of the
Japanese Imperial Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
and protecting the chief of state and the capital city. Under the Japanese, it was called . It fought in the revolution and was the first military unit to engage in the
Battle of Surabaya The Battle of Surabaya was fought between regular infantry and militia of the Indonesian nationalist movement and British and British Indian troops as a part of the Indonesian National Revolution against the re-imposition of Dutch colonial r ...
under the command of Police Inspector Moehammad Jasin. On 14 November 1946, Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir reorganised the ''Polisi Istimewa'' into the Mobile Brigade (Mobrig). This day is celebrated as the anniversary of this Blue Beret Corps. This Corps was reconstituted to suppress military and police conflicts and even coups d'etat. On 1 December 1947, Mobrig was militarized and later deployed in various conflicts and confrontations like the PKI rebellion in Madiun, the
Darul Islam rebellion The Darul Islam rebellion was a war waged between 1949 and 1962 by the Islamic State of Indonesia, commonly known as Darul Islam, to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia. The rebellion began when Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwirjo, a former In ...
(1947), the
APRA coup d'état The APRA coup d'état was a coup d'état by Raymond Westerling's Legion of Ratu Adil (APRA) to capture Bandung and Jakarta, and to overthrow Sukarno’s unitary Republic of Indonesia. Westerling was a demobilised Dutch Captain of the KNIL (Royal ...
and proclamation of the
Republic of South Maluku South Maluku, also South Moluccas, officially the Republic of South Maluku, was an unrecognised secessionist republic that claimed the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram, which make up the Indonesian province of Maluku. Dutch conquest exert ...
(1950), the PRRI rebellion (1953), and the
Permesta Permesta was a rebel movement in Indonesia, its name based on the Universal Struggle Charter (or ''Piagam Perjuangan Semesta'') that was declared on 2 March 1957 by civil and military leaders in East Indonesia. Initially the center of the movem ...
(1958). As of 14 November 1961, the Mobrig changed its name to ''Korps Brigade Mobil'' (Brimob), and its troops took part in the military confrontation with Malaysia in the early 1960s and in the conflict in East Timor in the mid-1970s. After that, Brimob was placed under the command of the
Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...
. The Mobile Brigade, which began forming in late 1946 and was used during the anti-Dutch Revolution, started sending students for US Army SF training on
Okinawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi). ...
in January 1959. In April 1960 a second contingent arrived for two months of Ranger training. By the mid-1960s the three-battalion Mobile Brigade, commonly known as Brimob, had been converted into an elite shock force. A Brimob airborne training centre was established in
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
. Following the 1965 coup attempt, one Brimob battalion was used during anti-Communist operations in
West Kalimantan West Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five Indonesian provinces comprising Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city is Pontianak. The province has an area of 147,307&nbs ...
. In December 1975 a Brimob battalion was used during the East Timor operation. During the late 1970s, Brimob assumed VIP security and urban anti-terrorist duties. In 1989, Brimob still contained airborne-qualified elements. ''Pelopor'' ('Ranger') and airborne training takes place in Bandung and at a training camp outside
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
.Kenneth Conboy, Simon McCouai
South-East Asian Special Forces
D3 Lieutenant, BRIMOB, 1983.
Osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown ...
, 1991
Historically, Brimob wore the Indonesian spot camouflage pattern during the early 1960s as their uniform. In 1981, the Mobile Brigade spawned a new unit called the "Jihandak" (''Penjinak Bahan Peledak''), an
explosive ordnance disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
(EOD) unit.


Task

The Implementation and mobilization of the Brimob Corps is to cope with high-level interruption of society mainly: mass riots, organized crime armed with fire, search and rescue, explosives, chemicals, biological and radioactive threats along with other police operational implementing elements in order to realize legal order and peace of society throughout juridical of Indonesia and other tasks assigned to the corps.


Qualifications

The Pelopor qualifications, which are the basic capabilities of every Brimob member, are the following basic skills: # Ability to navigate with map and compass # Intelligence # Anti-terror (
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...
) #
Riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irrat ...
# Guerrilla war, Close / Urban war tactics #
Bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
# Handle high intensity crimes where the use of firearms is present #
Search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
# Surveillance, disguise and prosecution. # Other individual and unit capabilities.


Function

The function of the Police's Mobile Brigade Corps as the Polri's Principal Operating Unit which has specific capabilities (
Riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irrat ...
, Combat Countermeasures, Mobile Detective, Counter-terrorism, Bomb Disposal, and Search and Rescue) in the framework of High-level domestic security and community-supported search and rescue personnel who are well trained and have solid leadership, equipment and supplies with modern technology.


Role

The role of Brimob is together with other police functions is to act against high-level criminals, mainly mass riots, organized crime of firearms, bombs, chemicals, biology and radio active threats in order to realize the legal order and peace of society in all juridical areas of Indonesia. Roles undertaken include: #Role to help other police functions, #Role to complement in territorial police operations carried out in conjunction with other police functions, #Role to protect members of other police units as well
civilians Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
who are under threat, #Role to strengthen other police functions in the implementation of regional operational tasks, #Serve to replace and handle territorial police duties if the situation or task objective has already led to a high-grade crime.


Organisation

In 1992 the Mobile Brigade was essentially a
paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
organisation trained and organised along military lines. It had a strength of about 12,000. The brigade was used primarily as an elite unit for emergencies and supporting police operations as a rapid response unit. The unit was mainly deployed for domestic security and defense operations, but now has gained and achieved many specialties in the scope of policing duties such as implementing SWAT operations, Search and Rescue operations, Riot control and CBR (Chemical, biological and radiological) defense. Brimob also are usually sent to do domestic security operations with the TNI. Since the May 1998 upheaval, PHH (''Pasukan Anti Huru-Hara'', Anti Riot Unit) have received special anti-riot training. Elements of the unit are cross trained for airborne and
Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
operations. In each Police HQ that represents a province (which is known as POLDA) in Indonesia each has an organized BRIMOB force which consists of a command headquarters, several Detachments of Pelopor police personnel organized into a regiment and usually 1 or 2 detachments of GEGANA. The
Chief of the Indonesian National Police The Chief of the Indonesian National Police, commonly known as the National Police Chief, is the official who heads the Indonesian National Police (Polri). Since it was first formed, this position has experienced several changes in hierarchy an ...
, known as KAPOLRI, has the highest command in each police operation including BRIMOB, orders are delivered by the police chief and then executed by his Operational Assistant Agent with then further notification to the Corps Commandant and then to the concerned regional commanders.


Units

* Corps HQ and HQ Services ** Brimob Corps Training School ** Gegana Unit ** Pelopor Brigade *** Brigade HQ *** II (2nd) Pelopor Regiment *** III (3rd) Pelopor Regiment *** IV (4th) Pelopor Regiment ** Training Command


Pelopor

''Pelopor'' (lit."Pioneer") is the main reaction force of the Mobile Brigade Corps, it acts as a troop formation and has the roles of mainly
riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irrat ...
and conducting paramilitary operations assigned to the corps to cope with high-level threat of society disturbance. It also specializes in the field of Guerrilla, and
Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
(SAR) operations. There are three national
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s of Pelopor in the Brimob corps which are: *II Pelopor Regiment *III Pelopor Regiment *IV Pelopor Regiment In a historical view, this unit was called as "Brimob Rangers" during the Post Independence era. In 1959, during its first formation, Brimob Rangers troops conducted a test mission in the area of Cibeber, Ciawi and Cikatomas which borders Tasikmalaya-Garut in West Java. It was the baptism of fire of the Rangers, in which the newly acquired skills of guerrilla warfare and counter-insurgency operations were applied against remnants of Darul Islam in these communities. The actions against the Islamic Army of Indonesia (TII) units in the province weakened the DI even further, leading the total collapse of the local DI provincial chapter in 1962, ending a decade-long war of violence there. The official first forward deployment of the Brimob Rangers was the Fourth Military Operations Movement in South Sumatra, West Sumatra and North Sumatra (in response to the
Permesta Permesta was a rebel movement in Indonesia, its name based on the Universal Struggle Charter (or ''Piagam Perjuangan Semesta'') that was declared on 2 March 1957 by civil and military leaders in East Indonesia. Initially the center of the movem ...
rebellion of 1958). It was the Brimob Rangers troops became part of the Bangka Belitung Infantry Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel (Inf) Dani Effendi. Rangers were tasked to capture the remains of the PRRI prison in Sumatra's forests led by Major Malik, which was then under rebel hands. In 1961, under the express orders of then Chief of Police General Soekarno Djoyonegoro, Brimob Rangers troops were officially renamed Pelopor Troops of the Mobile Brigade. This is in accordance with the wishes of President
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...
who wanted Indonesian names for units within both the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) and POLRI (Indonesian National Police). At this time also the Pelopor constables and NCOs received many brand new weapons for police and counter-insurgency operations, including the more famous
AR-15 An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporatio ...
assault rifles. The subsequent assignment of this force was to infiltrate
West Irian Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...
in Fak-Fak in May 1962 and engage in combat with the servicemen of the
Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutch ...
. The troops were also involved in the Confrontation of Malaysia in 1964 and at that time the Brimob Rangers troops (now Pelopor) in Indonesia faced the British
Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
. Now the Pelopor Troops plays a role as a troop formation unit and is still active in the Brimob's operational system. Aside from the national regiments, each Police region has a Pelopor regiment of two to four battalions.


Gegana

''Gegana'' is a special branch detachment within the Brimob corps which have special abilities mainly in
bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
and
counter-terrorist Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...
operations. On the other hand, it also specializes in the field of
hostage rescue A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...
,
intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be d ...
and CBR (Chemical, biological and radiological) defense. The national Gegana unit is organized into a battalion headquarters and (five) detachments which are: *Intelligence Detachment *Bomb Disposal Detachment * Anti-Terror Detachment *Anti-Anarchist Detachment * CBR (Chemical, biological and radiological) Detachment This unit was formed in 1976 as a detachment. At first, it was meant to deal with
aircraft hijacking Aircraft hijacking (also known as airplane hijacking, skyjacking, plane hijacking, plane jacking, air robbery, air piracy, or aircraft piracy, with the last term used within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States) is the unlawfu ...
. Later in 1995, with the expansion of Brimob, the Gegana Detachment was expanded to become the 2nd BRIMOB Regiment. However, there are a select few specialists who are very skilled in these specialties. Gegana does not have battalions or companies. The regiment is broken down into several detachments. Within each detachment they are split into sub-detachments (sub-den), and within each sub-den they are further sub-divided into several units. Each unit usually consists of 10 personnel. One sub-den consists of 40 personnel, and one detachment consists of about 280 personnel. One operation is usually assigned to one unit. Therefore, from the 10 people in that unit, six are required to have special skills: two for EOD (Explosives and Ordnance Disposal), two for search and rescue operations, and two for counter-terrorist operations. In any operation, two experts are designated Operators One and Two while the rest of the unit members become the Support Team. For example, in counter-terrorism operations, the designated Operators must have sharp-shooting skills, ability to negotiate, and be an expert in storm-and-arrest procedures. These skills and operations are not meant to be lethal because the main goal of every Gegana operation is to arrest suspects and bring them to the court. Unless there is a situation that Gegana has to do otherwise, there will be no shooting. In Search and Rescue operations, the personnel are required to have the basic capabilities of diving, rappelling, shooting, and first aid. In anti-bomb operation, the Operators have to be the expert in their respective fields. Each Gegana personnel has been introduced to various types of bombs in general, including the risks of handling them. There are specific procedures for handling each bomb, including the required timing. Currently, Gegana has three
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
(EOD) tactical vehicles.


Unit composition

Brimob units are present in all 34 Regional Police Headquarters (Polda) in Indonesia which represent a
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
. In each BRIMOB unit of a Police HQ in a province ( ''Polda''), there are about several detachments of MBC Pelopor units (organized into a regiment) and usually 1 - 2 detachment of Gegana (small battalions or companies). A Brimob unit of a regional police headquarters consists of the following: #Regional Mobile Brigade HQ Section (''Si-yanma'') #Planning and Administration Section (''Subbagrenmin'') #Intelligence Section (''Si-intel'') #Operational Section (''Si-ops'') #Provost ( Internal affairs) Section (''Si-provos'') #Communications Technology Section (''Si-tekkom'') #Medical and Fitness Section (''Si-kesjas'') #
Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
(SAR) Unit #Pelopor Regiment composed of: ## Regional Pelopor Regimental HQ ##A Detachment (''Den-A'') ##B Detachment (''Den-B'') ##C Detachment (''Den-C'') ##D Detachment (''Den-D'') (large departments only) ## Support units #Gegana Detachment (''Den Gegana'') ## Detachment HQ ## 1-3 Subdetachments/Platoons For some regional police headquarters, Pelopor detachments only consists up-to "C" Detachments only (3 battalions each). But for bigger regional police HQs such as the Jakarta Regional Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya), it consists up-to "D" Detachment with a total of four (4) detachments. Each Pelopor Detachment consists of 4 (four)
Companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
, and each Company consists of 3 (three)
Platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
s. The Gegana detachment is organized as a company in most police regions, but in larger ones is organized as a full battalion of two detachments and a headquarters unit. Brimob gegana.png, Gegana Brimob pelopor2.png, Pelopor SAR brimob.png,
Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
(SAR) unit


Gallery


See also

*
Detachment 88 Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 ( id, Detasemen Khusus 88 Antiteror), or Densus 88, is a tier one Indonesian National Police counter-terrorism squad formed on 30 June 2003, after the 2002 Bali bombings. It is funded, equipped, and trained b ...
or ''Densus 88'', Indonesian special
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...
squad


References


External links


Video about Brimob


*


Gegana Operators In Action on Instagram
{{Government of Indonesia, state=collapsed 1946 establishments in Indonesia Specialist law enforcement agencies of Indonesia Non-military counterterrorist organizations Bomb disposal Non-military counterinsurgency organizations