Gendarmerie Special Operations

Gendarmerie Special Operations
Active	1991–1993 (Gendarmerie Commando "A" Teams), 1993-1999 (Gendarmerie Special Operations Groups) 1999–present (Gendarmerie Special Operations)
Country	Turkey
Branch	Gendarmerie General Command
Type	Special forces
Garrison/HQ	Ankara Güvercinlik
Nickname(s)	JÖH'ler
Motto(s)	Shining Honor and Glory on Our Forehead
Colors	Gold and black
Mascot(s)	Anatolian leopard
Engagements	Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present) Operation Steel Operation Dawn (1997) Operation Sun Operation Shah Euphrates Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Olive Branch Operation Claw (2019) Operation Peace Spring

The Gendarmerie Special Operations (Turkish: Jandarma Özel Harekat) or JÖH, is the special operations unit of the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command. Its tasks include search and destroy, infiltration, and reconnaissance. Members of the unit receive extensive training at the Jandarma School at Foça and also from selected Turkish Armed Forces instructors. All three of its companies work under the direction of the army regions to which they are assigned, but can also receive tasking from their headquarters in Ankara.[1][2][3][4][5]

About

The GSO was established in 1991, at the height of the Turkish–Kurdish conflict. It has recently been involved in the Turkish occupation of northern Syria.[6] Unit members are in the 16-week training rooms at the Gendarmerie Commando Terrorist Operations School Command in Foça. All kinds of light weapons, mortar use, rocket launcher training, maneuvering under fire, destroying targets, mountaineering, GPS, long distance navigation, camouflage, being able to withstand fatigue and insomnia, making the right decision under stress, adaptation to different climate and geographical situations, fighting in urban areas, explosive recognition and detection, helicopter evacuation, basic helicopter steering, transition through waterways, basic diving, melee combat,[7] survival, boat operations.[8] A person who completes the course becomes a commando. Commando candidates run 300+ kilometers, walk more than 1100+ kilometers and stay in the field for 61 nights.[9] Trainees are expected to complete a 10 kilometer rifle run, a 15 kilometer country run, and a 30 kilometer strength run with full equipment. After the commando training, a sniper course is followed. The Gendarmerie Special Operations course lasts 6 months. The course is organized in Ankara, İzmir and Kayseri with land, air and sea phases.[10] Gendarmerie officers, non-commissioned officers and experts who have received basic gendarmerie commando training can attend the course. Combat training in severe cold in Kayseri or Bolu Basic diving in Ankara In İzmir Foça, the helicopter jump boat operator receives training such as close combat, forestry, airplane-bus-train operations, residential operation, frogman, special operations and Paratrooper.[11] Special operations candidates ran a total of 675+ kilometers under running conditions. At the end of the training, the student will have the ability to plan and conduct special operations in buildings, land, air and railway vehicles in all kinds of terrain and climatic conditions at home and abroad.

In Combat Physical Education classes, basic movements such as pull-ups, sit-ups and push-ups are performed. In addition, a training simulation called TAKSİS is conducted by TÜBİTAK.[12] Has at least 20,000 active personnel.[13] JÖHs are like the equivalent of maroon berets in the Turkish Armed Forces.[14]

Units

Unit[15]	Province	Nick Name's	Details
Hançerler JÖH	Adıyaman	Hançerler (Daggers)	Badge [1]^[permanent dead link‍]
Mertler JÖH	Ağrı	Mertler (Braves)	Symbols/ badge of unit is double-headed Anatholian Eagle(Seljuk) located behind Mount Ararat.
Atmacalar JÖH	Batman, Turkey	Atmacalar (sparrow hawks)	[2]
Kartallar JÖH	Bingöl	Kartallar (Eagles)	[3] Badge [4]
Roketler JÖH	Diyarbakır	Roketler (Rockets)	[5] Badge [6]
Serdarlar JÖH	Elazığ	Serdarlar (Serdar means commander in Ottoman Turkish language)	Badge [7]^[permanent dead link‍]
Çelikler JÖH	Erzurum	Çelikler (Steels)	takes its name from Operation Steel. most of the commanders from 25th Mechanized Infantry Brigade [8]^[permanent dead link‍] Badge [9]
Doğanlar JÖH	Giresun	Doğanlar (Falcons)	Gendarmerie Chief Sergeant Ferhat Gedik killed together with Eren Bülbül (aged 15) as a result of an attack by PKK were a member of this unit.[16] This unit is out of Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present) zone and takes place in Black Sea Forest region. The reason behind for being outside of the conflict area is Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front or DHKP-C Insurgency [10][11]
Fatihler JÖH	Hakkari	Fatihler (Conquerors)	Badge [12]^[permanent dead link‍] [13]
Efeler JÖH	Hakkâri Province - Yüksekova	Efeler (Efe (zeybek)) There is EfeMonument in Barracks [14]	First unit commit the counter offensive October 2007 clashes in Hakkâri [15][16] Badge : [17]
Parslar JÖH	Hakkâri Province Şemdinli	Parslar (Anatolian leopards)	[18]^[permanent dead link‍]
Arslanlar JÖH	Hatay Province	Arslanlar (Lions)	Newly formed unit since begin of Syrian Civil War to protect the border &Amanos Mountains. Also took place in Operation Olive Branch(closest unit in region)[19][20]^[permanent dead link‍]
Kafkaslar JÖH	Kars	Kafkaslar (Caucasus Mountains)	[21]^[permanent dead link‍]
Yiğitler JÖH	Mardin Province	Yiğitler (Ironsides)	One of the first unit.[22]^[permanent dead link‍] symbol on Badge is Akinji [23]^[permanent dead link‍]
Kılıçlar JÖH	Muş Province	Kılıçlar (Kilijs)	[24]
Dadaşlar JÖH	Siirt Province	Dadaş (Valiants)	Badge [25] Old Badge [26]
Bozkır Kartalları JÖH	Sivas Province	Kartallar (Steppe eagles)	[27]
Meteler JÖH	Şırnak	Meteler(Modu Chanyu)	Badge [28]
Korkutlar JÖH	Osmaniye	Korkut (name)	Badge [29]
Oğuzlar & Yıldırımlar JÖH	Van, Turkey	Oḡuz Khan Yildirim Bayazit	Badge [30]^[permanent dead link‍]
Panterler JÖH	Tatvan Bitlis	Leopard's	Badge [31]^[permanent dead link‍]
Boralar JÖH	Tokat	Bora means (Strong wind)	Badge [32]^[permanent dead link‍]
Şahinler JÖH	Tunceli	Buteo's	Badge [33]^[permanent dead link‍]
Timsahlar JÖH[17]	Bursa	Crocodile	Badge [34]
Avcılar JÖH	İzmir	Hunters	Badge [35]
Tayfunlar JÖH	Antalya, Akseki	Typhoons	-

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
2. "Turkey 'neutralized' over 2,000 terrorists in year". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
3. "Jandarma Özel Harekat Nedir? Kimler Başvurabilir?". www.kpssrehber.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
4. DHA (18 May 2019). "'Kawa' yakalandı, JÖH'ler 'Aras'ın peşinde". www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2019-11-07.
5. "Kağanlar". www.jandarma.gov.tr. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
6. "Turkey Deploys Special Forces to Syria's Afrin in Escalation Against the Kurds". Haaretz.
7. Foça Jandarma Komando Okulu YAKIN BOĞUŞMA, 13 January 2020, retrieved 2023-06-18
8. "Jandarma komandolar 'terörle mücadele' için göreve hazır". www.trthaber.com (in Turkish). 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
9. "Terörle mücadeleye 'kadın komando astsubaylar' yetiştiriyorlar". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
10. "Jandarmanın seçkin komandoları zorlu görevler için zorlu eğitimlerden geçiyor - Yeni Akit". www.yeniakit.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-06-18.
11. "Jandarmanın seçkin komandoları zorlu görevler için zorlu eğitimlerden geçiyor". 2021-06-23. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
12. "TAKSİS / Taktik Eğitim Sistemi | BİLİŞİM TEKNOLOJİLERİ ENSTİTÜSÜ". bte.bilgem.tubitak.gov.tr. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
13. "Özel Harekatçı sayısı 40 bine çıkıyor - Son Dakika Haberleri". www.hurriyet.com.tr. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
14. "TSK, komandoya ağırlık verdi, bu alandaki gücünü 10 kat artırdı". Independent Türkçe (in Turkish). 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
15. "Jandarma Özel Harekat Birlikleri". Jandarma Forum (in Turkish). 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
16. "Turkey hit by series of attacks". 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
17. "Anadolu Ajansı". Anadolu Ajansı. Retrieved 2021-02-21.