Taifib ( id, Batalyon Intai Amfibi) is an elite

recon Recon may refer to: * Reconnaissance, a military term for gathering information * ''Halo 3: Recon'', a standalone expansion for the video game ''Halo 3'' * Recon (Lost), "Recon" (''Lost''), the eighth episode of the sixth season of ''Lost'' * Re ...

unit within the

Indonesian Marine Corps '' ("Glorious on the Land and Sea") , colors = , colors_label = Beret color , march = Mars Korps Marinir , mascot = , equipment = ...

which is tasked for conducting

amphibious reconnaissance Amphibious reconnaissance is ground and naval reconnaissance in the littoral area bordering coastal or ocean areas. Initially, it is used for preliminary reconnaissance in collecting pertinent information about the beachhead in its permeabilit ...

and

special reconnaissance Special reconnaissance (SR) or Recon Team is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organizations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detec ...

. It is operationally similar to the Combat Reconnaissance Platoon ( id, Peleton Intai Tempur, abbreviated "Tontaipur") from the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Kostrad The Army Strategic Reserves Command ( id, Komando Cadangan Strategis Angkatan Darat; abbreviated ) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operati ...

corps. Taifib was previously known as (abbreviation from: ) which literally means in English: the Para-Amphibious reconnaissance Commandos, it was formed in 1961. They were officially formed on 13 March 1961 as . Set at a

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 conscript ...

al strength of two

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s, "Taifib" is formed basically as the elite amphibious reconnaissance unit of the Indonesian Marine Corps. It was first deployed for conflict management in Irian Jaya ( Papua) in April 1962. Starting from November 1971 it was called or Amphibious Recon Battalion.

History

At the time of the establishment of the Indonesian Marine Corps, the marine corps lacked the capability of intelligence, as well as special forces trained and able to carry out special activities that can not be done by ordinary units. Answering the need for an intelligence gathering unit, on March 13, 1961, the Marine Corps High Command issued a decree (No.47/KP/KKO/1961) regarding the formation of the Para- Amphibious

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

Commando Unit (). Those marines received training at the British-run Jungle Warfare Center in Malaya. During the following year a second group attended

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

reconnaissance training at Coranado. These cadres were combined to form the core of an elite reconnaissance unit combining airborne and amphibious skills. The KIPAM unit first saw action during

Operation Trikora Operation Trikora was an Indonesian military operation which aimed to seize and annex the Dutch overseas territory of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961 and 1962. After negotiations, the Netherlands signed the New York Agreement with Indonesia on ...

, as part of the Indonesian forces forward deployed to

Western New Guinea 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 ...

as part of their operations against the armed forces of the Netherlands. KIPAM and

Kopassus The Kopassus ( id, Komando Pasukan Khusus, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabot ...

personnel on loan to KOPASKA both were responsible for the retrieval of the bodies of the seven victims of the

30 September Movement The Thirtieth of September Movement ( id, Gerakan 30 September, abbreviated as G30S, also known by the acronym Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian Na ...

of 1965, in the presence of senior military officials. On July 25, 1970, KIPAM, then a detachment sized formation, was transformed into a battalion, the . On 17 November 1971, was again renamed into , eventually renamed again into , abbreviated . The unit was placed under the Marine Corps Combat Support Regiment. Along with the development of the Marine Corps and the inauguration of the 1st Marine Force (), on 12 March 2001, the Marine Corps General Command issued a decree (No. Skep/08/111/2001) in which Taifib are no longer placed under the Marine Corps Combat Regiment and are now under the jurisdiction of the newly formed 1st Marine Forces. Looking at the scope of the assignment and its capabilities, Taifib was finally officially designated as a Special Forces of the

Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol ...

. This was reinforced by a decree issued by the Commander of the National Armed Forces (Skep/1857/XI/2003) on 18 November 2003. To complement the expansion of the Corps a second battalion assigned to the 2nd Marine Forces was raised in 2008, and a 3rd is under formation, assigned to the 3rd Marine Forces.

Mission

Yontaifib has the main duty of fostering and providing the amphibious elements for amphibious operations as well as becoming the reconnaissance operation unit for the

task force which cooperates with the

Indonesian Marine Corps '' ("Glorious on the Land and Sea") , colors = , colors_label = Beret color , march = Mars Korps Marinir , mascot = , equipment = ...

. The nickname of the "''Sea Ghost''" () was given to the Taifib unit due to their deadly capabilities within the sea/ocean. Taifib unit has individual abilities above the average of ordinary soldiers and is able to quickly adapt to every operational surrounding environment. Infiltration and en-filtration capabilities to enemy areas, free fall with HALO and HAHO, STABO / SPIE systems, swimming, diving, and underwater capabilities as

combat swimmers A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or human swimming, swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of co ...

through submarine torpedo launchers become the most lethal capabilities possessed by this unit.

Recruitment and Training

Taifib accepts volunteers from the Marines with at least two years' experience. Seven months of commando training include a one-month airborne course: airborne qualification wings are presented after five day jumps, one night jump, and one 'rough terrain' jungle jump. Refresher jumps are conducted into the water.

Motto

, which originally comes from Sanskrit, is the motto of the Taifib, which means: * - Invisible * - Angel of Death The overall motto means that every Taifib member has the ability to move quickly, secretly and lethally in every mission.

References

Bibliography

* {{Naval special operations forces Special forces of Indonesia Indonesian Navy Armed forces diving Naval special forces units Marines Military units and formations established in 1961