The Special Operations Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Regiment () (พัน.ปพ. รพศ.3) also known as Task Force 90 () is a special forces unit of the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

(RTA). It is currently part of the 3rd Special Forces Regiment King's Guard (Airborne),

Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Command The Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Command () also known as Pa Wai Airborne () is the special forces of the Royal Thai Army. Its headquarters are King Narai Camp in Lopburi. History The Royal Thai Army recognizes the importance and necessi ...

(RTASWC).The Task Force 90 has been sometimes referred to as the Thai

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), also known as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as Task Force Green, is a Special operation forces, special operat ...

History

The Task Force 90 (TF90) was founded by the 1st Division, King's Guard in 1981. In the early stages of creating the TF90, 1st and 2nd generation (42 men per generation) was trained by 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-terr ...

(SAS) and 3rd generation (40 men) was trained by

Sayeret Matkal Sayeret Matkal () (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262) (English: General Staff Reconnaissance Unit), is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is considered one of the premier special forces units of ...

. After that, personnel from all three generations took the knowledge gained from the training to train and develop the next generation of personnel. Currently, TF90 regularly trains with special forces units of the

Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy (Abbreviation, Abrv: RTN, ทร.; , ) is the Navy, naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as the father of the Royal N ...

(RTN),

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

(RTAF), and

Royal Thai Police The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...

(RTP), as well as foreign special forces. Most of which are US Special Forces, the training will focus on crisis management responding to the terrorist event for tactical operations counterterrorism and hostage rescue. The unit was promoted to King's Guard in 2019.

Recruitment, selection and training

To be eligible for the Task Force 90 unit selection process, candidates must first be members of the RTASWC and have successfully completed both the counterterrorism and hostage rescue courses. Applicants undergo rigorous physical and mental evaluations, and those who pass are admitted into an intensive training program. As with all special forces units, the training is exceptionally demanding and high-risk, with the potential for severe injuries or even fatalities. Only those who successfully complete this grueling program earn the right to join Task Force.

Mission

Task Force 90 is a renowned special forces unit specializing in black operations, high-value target capture or elimination, counterterrorism, direct action, executive protection, hostage rescue, irregular warfare, and other high-risk special operations. These missions are typically assigned by the 3rd Special Forces Regiment King's Guard (Airborne). In cases of terrorism within the Army's area of responsibility, command authority shifts to the Counter Terrorist Operations Center (CTOC) under the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, which previously operated from the Royal Thai Army HQ.

References

{{Military of Thailand Special forces of Thailand Hostage rescue units Royal Thai Army Military units and formations established in 1981

History

Recruitment, selection and training

Mission

See also

References