The Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade of the

Kuwait Army The Kuwait Land Forces (), established in 1949, are Land warfare, land forces and the oldest armed branch among the Kuwait Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Kuwait. Its cavalry and infantry predecessors operated in desert and metropolitan areas in ...

, commonly known as the 25th Commando, is one of Kuwait's various principal Commando brigades. The 25th Commando operates at the disposition of the respective commander who reports to the respective leadership of the Military of Kuwait;www.mod.gov.kw
(Official Website) executing, participating in, supporting, and carrying out all conflicts in which the Military of Kuwait has engaged since inception in 1960. The 25th Commando executes general operations in support of the

Military of Kuwait The Kuwait Armed Forces () are the military forces of the State of Kuwait. They consist of the Kuwait Air Force, the Kuwait Army, the Kuwait Navy & the Kuwait National Guard. The governing bodies are the Kuwait Ministry of Defense,

Creation

The 25th Commando Brigade was founded in 1960 by the deputy commander of

, Brigadier General

Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (; 1934–1987) was a member of the House of Sabah and one of the first Kuwaitis to attain the military rank of lieutenant general. He was one of the first Kuwaitis to be commissioned as an officer by th ...

, prior to the forming of the first

Government of Kuwait Kuwait is an emirate. The Emir of Kuwait, a hereditary monarch from the Al Sabah ruling family appoints the prime minister (who is always a royal) and other members of government, as well as members of judicial, police and financial institutions. ...

. An initial selection pool of 33 commando specialists was selected to form the 1st specialized platoon; which was considered the initial forming of the 25th Commando Brigade.

Development and establishment

The 1st specialized

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

of the 25th Commando was established in 1960. Following the initial establishment came the forming of 1st

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

of specialized forces in 1961. In 1962, the 1st specialized force

unit Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...

was formed and operated from the Kuwait 15th Mubarak Armored Brigade. During that time, the 1st specialized force unit operated extensively and trained continuously in the deserts of Kuwait. As the enlistments of initial specialists increased; their administrative requirements complemented the need. As a result, an administrative bureau was in need and due to the unavailability and incapacity of building infrastructures in the remote desert areas of operations; the bureau initially temporarily operated out of a designated training

ground Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the solid terrestrial surface of the Earth * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical circ ...

. Shortly after, the commandos of the 1st specialized force unit were called to operate out of the

's 6th Mechanized Brigade in 1965; known later as the Kuwait 6th Liberation Mechanized Brigade following the liberation of Kuwait during the Gulf War. The 1st specialized force unit was moved and the specialized force

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

was officially formed. Following in 1966, the forming of 2nd specialized force

followed. In 1970, both Commando battalions were united and were stationed in the Kuwait 6th Liberation Mechanized Brigade. During the same year, an executive military organization order on January 31 1971, was issued and changed the designation of the 1st specialized force

to a designated Commando Battalion; similarly, the 2nd specialized force

to another designated Commando Battalion. In 1972, another executive military organization order was issued; requesting the transformation of the two Commando Battalions to

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

battalions. In 1973, the Commando unit was formed and stationed to a location where they were designated as Commando Forces. In 1975, Commando Forces established an official commando qualified training ground. In 1987, the Commando Forces were redesignated and renamed to Commando Battalion. Following in 1994, the Commando battalion was officially known as Commando specialized force. With the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

in 1975, units of the Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade were sent to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

to protect the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beirut. In 1993, a small number of 25th CB operators were sent to Somalia. In 2015 after the Kuwait mosque bombing the perpetrators fled to

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

, Kuwaiti authorities managed to track them down and send the commandos after them, the commandos entered iraq without the Iraqi government permission which caused a political stir, the commandos successfully eliminated all the perpetrators in less than 14 hours. The commandos are responsible for raiding Iraqi dredgers to prevent them from digging in Kuwaiti territorial waters. The unit raided a big number of ships carrying supplies and ammunition for the

Houthi movement The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...

coming from iran. In parallel application with the 25th

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

and mainly at the level of leading

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

international

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

and

humanitarianism Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotion ...

, the State of Kuwait played a supporting pivotal role in bringing the Lebanese Civil War to a halt (1975–1990).
Honoring Kuwait 2014, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah...A Humanitarian Leader; Section on " His Highness the Amir...His Biography & His Journey", Page 41–43; Retrieved December 17th,2014 A Diplomatic mission, mission for this purpose was led by Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait during the reign of

Emir of Kuwait The Emir of the State of Kuwait () is the monarch and head of state of Kuwait, and is the country's most powerful office. The emirs of Kuwait are members of the Al Sabah dynasty. Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the emir of Kuwa ...

, Sheikh

Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (29 June 1926 – 15 January 2006) (), also known as Jaber III, was Emir of Kuwait from 31 December 1977 until his death in 2006. The third monarch to rule Kuwait since its independence from Britain, Ja ...

. In 2000, the former

Deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

Prime Minister of Kuwait The prime minister of Kuwait is the head of government of Kuwait. As the third most powerful official in the country, following the Emir of Kuwait and List of Speakers of Kuwait National Assembly, Speaker of the National Assembly, the prime min ...

and

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Sheikh

Salem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Sheikh Salem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah (; 18 June 1938 – 8 October 2007) was a senior member of the House of Al-Sabah of Kuwait. Biography Salem Al Sabah was the eldest son of the 12th Ruler and 2nd Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al- ...

signed on the recommended organization of the 25th Commando Battalion. The unit showed great performance in Yemen and iraq, American special forces were impressed by the quality and physical capabilities of the brigade. The 25th commandos took a part in training Yemeni special forces and Iraqi special forces. The training of the Iraqi special forces stopped in 2017 due to diplomatic reasons. In the following years, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh

Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (, 5 January 1942 – 14 September 2024) was a Kuwaiti royal and politician who served as the prime minister of Kuwait from 2011 to 2019. He previously served as minister of defense as well as deputy pri ...

officially designated the Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade as one of the State of Kuwait's various official Commando initiatives in the Military of Kuwait, during the reign of Emir of Kuwait,

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (; 16 June 1929 – 29 September 2020) was the Emir of Kuwait from 24 January 2006 until his death in 2020. He was the fourth son of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Early life and early career Al-Sabah was ...

Selection

Approximately 60% of commandos are recruited from SF units and commando marines who already have a lot of military experience in fighting in all conditions and warfare. * CFT test - 16.3 km carrying 24 kg within 1 hour and 44 minutes * advanced CFT 1 - 24.6 km carrying 30 Kg within 2 hours and 5 minutes * advanced CFT 2 - 30 km carrying 40 Kg Other tests are classified. In 2018 10 people out of 600+ managed to pass the tests.

Notable officers

Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (; 10 August 1945 – 2 August 1990) was a member of the Kuwaiti ruling family, a military officer, and sports administrator. He was the founder of the Asian Handball Federation and Kuwait Olympic Comm ...

* Athbi Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah * Khaled Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , title=The Elite: The A–Z of Modern Special Operations Forces, last=Neville, first=Leigh, year=2019, publisher=Osprey Publishing, location=Oxford, isbn=978-1472824295 Military counterterrorist organizations Military of Kuwait Military units and formations established in 1960 Military special forces brigades