The Scorpion 25th Special Forces Brigade () or known simply as Scorpion

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

(''Спецназ Скорпион'') is a specialized Kyrgyz military unit in the country's

Ground Forces An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...

. It is now considered to be one of the best armed formations in the armed forces. Being special forces troops, they specialize in airborne combat, hand-to-hand combat, covert operations, as well as insurgent skills.

History

The brigade was founded on March 31, 1994, as the 525th Special Purpose company by order of the

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 ...

Myrzakan Subanov Myrzakan Usurkanovich Subanov (; born 15 October 1944) is a Soviet- Kyrgyz military commander who served as post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan's chairman of the State Defense Committee in 1992–1993 and first Minister of Defense in 1993–1999. Biography M ...

. Many officers in the company received combat experience in

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

and

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, later known as the Republic of Afghanistan, was the Afghan state between History of Afghanistan (1978–1992), 1978 and 1992. It was bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, by Iran to the west, by the ...

. In 1995, a detachment of the company underwent monthly training sessions with the

United States Army Rangers The United States Army Rangers are U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a ...

Fort Polk Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. Named after New Yo ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. The company was eventually expanded into a battalion, and later into a brigade with its current name. Between 1999–2000, the brigade participated in the Batken Conflict, turning the tide of many battles with the militants.

Training

All officers who serve in the brigade are trained at the

Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School The General V.F. Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Command School (RGVVDKU) () is a military educational institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense, situated in Ryazan, about southeast of Moscow. It was ...

. Also, instructors from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

are often invited to the brigade.

Commanders

* Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Kholodkov (1994-1996) * Colonel Timur Dzhumanaliev (1996-1997) * Colonel Artur Temirov (1997-2000) * Colonel Akylbek Dononbaev (2000-2001) * Colonel

Asanbek Alymkozhoev Asanbek Tunguchpaevich Alymkozhoev ( Kyrgyz: Асанбек Тунгучпаевич Алымкожоев; born 11 April 1956) is the former Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. He was also the commander of the National ...

(2001-2002) * Colonel

Taalaibek Omuraliev Taalaibek Baryktabasovich Omuraliev (, ; born 2 May 1965) is a Kyrgyz major general and a former Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic, Minister of Defense of Kyrgyzstan. He also served briefly as the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Kyr ...

(2002-2004) * Commandeer Talant Talipov (2015-2022)

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations of Kyrgyzstan Military special forces brigades 1994 establishments in Kyrgyzstan Military units and formations established in 1994