The Special Forces Command (Turkish: Özel Kuvvetler Komutanlığı — ÖKK) is a corps of the Turkish Armed Forces, initially established as a brigade in 14 April 1992, operating directly under the Turkish General Staff.
First established on 27 September 1952 as the Special and Auxiliary Combat Units, as a part of NATO's Operation Gladio, they did counterguerilla operations in North Korean territory during the Korean War. In November 1953, re-established as the Mobilized Reconnaissance Board and were sent out to Cyprus for Long-range reconnaissance operations and arming and organizing the Turkish Resistance Organization. On 14 December 1970, it was reorganized as the Special Warfare Department. Due to the emergence of external dangers after the Gulf War and threats from the northern part of Iraq, the Special Forces Command was established as a brigade on 14 April 1992. In 2006, the brigade transitioned to a division. ÖKK leadership was upgraded from major-general to lieutenant-general and the new division was split into the 1st and 2nd brigade with the expectation that the troop count would double from 7000 to 14,000 by 2009. They ranked first among twenty-six special forces troops at the World Special Forces Championship held in Germany in 2004.

The Department of Neutralization of Armed Elements (Albanian: Reparti i Neutralizimit të Elementit të Armatosur) commonly known by its acronym RENEA, is the main Albanian counter-terrorist and critical incident response unit. The force was constituted in the early 1990s in response to the growing crime levels in the country after the fall of communism. RENEA's responsibilities are rescue operations, hostage situations, counter-terrorism and response to particularly violent forms of crime. Since 1990, the unit has lost four men in action and more than forty wounded. Their skills are highly regarded and well thought-of inside Albania and in the West, they are reported to have one of the highest OPTEMPOs (frequency of deployments) in all of Europe and they have been trained by GSG 9.

The Lautaro Special Operations Brigade (Brigada de Operaciones Especiales "Lautaro," BOE) is Chilean Army's special operations forces unit. It is made up of units of special forces operators, land, mountain and paratroopers, tactical divers, and snipers.

The brigade is located in the town of Peldehue, in the military camp of the same name (the former Arteaga fortress), in the commune of Colina, north of the city of Santiago de Chile. To enable the activation of the brigade, Infantry Regiment No. 22 "Lautaro" and 4th Armored Group Cuirassiers had to be disbanded.

Among its reported units are the 1st Parachute Battalion "Pelantaru"; the 1st Commandos Company "Iquique;" the 10th Commandos Company; the 13th Commandos Company "Escorpión;" and the Grupo Especial de Montaña (Special Mountain Group). In 2010 the IISS Military Balance said the Chilean Army had one special operations brigade with four battalions.

The Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) (English: Special Operations Forces (SOF), alternatively Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM)) is a unified combatant command and a large brigade-level unit of the German Army (Heer) designated to perform covert operations, capture or kill high-value targets, undertake counterterrorism and hostage rescue crisis management, manage decapitation attacks, direct action, executive protection, irregular warfare, ISTAR, quick maneuver military emergencies situation, special warfare, as well as act as a military advisor. The KSK is under the command and control of the Rapid Forces Division (DSK) when on routine duty and is stationed in the Graf Zeppelin barracks in Calw, Baden-Württemberg.

The British Special Air Service (SAS), the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the German Federal Police's GSG 9 (Grenzschutzgruppe 9) of the former Federal Border Protection (Bundesgrenzschutz) (BGS) served as models for the formation and alignment of the KSK.

The KSK has received decorations and awards from NATO, the United States, and its affiliates. KSK operatives have taken part in joint anti-terror operations, notably in the Balkans and Middle East.

GIGN is a special unit within the French National Gendarmerie. It was one of the first French special units formed after the Munich 1972 massacre. The Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) is the primary French counter-terrorism unit and an elite unit for special operations.
The unit was established in 1973 when Europe realized that ordinary law enforcement and Army units are not enough for new terrorism tactics. The first commander of the newly created unit, then known as Regionale d’Equipe intervention (ECRI), was a Christian Prouteau. Prouteau’s unit transformed in 1977. In that year, they got their current name Groupe d’Intervention Gendarmerie Nationale or just GIGN. In September 2007, the unit underwent a new major transformation and full reorganization. In fact, the unit was extended with the members of the Gendarmerie Parachute Squadron (EPIGN) and with 30 members from the GSPR unit.

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM; French: Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada; COMFOSCAN) is a command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations that respond to terrorism and threats to Canadians and Canadian interests around the world.

CANSOFCOM's primary mission is counter-terrorism, which involves conducting rigorous and specialized training and working with local law enforcement agencies, as required, to protect Canadians from the threat of terrorism.

Commander CANSOFCOM reports directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff. The leadership of the CAF and the Department of National Defence maintain full oversight on all CANSOFCOM operations.