Unit Name: | Jandarma Özel Asayiş Komutanlığı |
Country: | Turkey |
Type: | Special Forces |
Branch: | Gendarmerie General Command |
Dates: | 1999-present |
Specialization: | Domestic Counter-terrorism Law enforcement |
Command Structure: | Respective municipality-level gendarmerie departments |
Size: | Brigade |
The Gendarmerie Special Public Security Command (Turkish: Jandarma Özel Asayiş Komutanlığı) or shortly as JÖAK, is the Special Forces units of the Gendarmerie General Command. It has several missions which include counter-terrorist actions, underwater operations, hostage rescue, riot control, and other high-threat criminal actions.[1] Members of the unit receive extensive training at the Jandarma School at Foça and also from selected Army instructors.JÖAK members are selected from among volunteer officers, non-commissioned officers, specialist gendarmerie and specialist non-commissioned officers at the Gendarmerie General Command, at the end of a 14-week specialization training in the Ilgaz Mountains, after a 26-week Gendarmerie Commando Basic training[2] at the Gendarmerie Commando School.[3] They receive training such as winter mountaineering, operations in deep snow, and operations in boats and water.[4] Later, they take many courses such as the operation with hostages in aircraft trains and sea vehicles, and counter-terrorism in residential areas.[5] All teams companies work under the direction of the police and gendarmerie regions to which they are assigned, but can also receive tasking from the Jandarma Headquarters in Ankara.Its role is similar to that of its French counterpart, GIGN.