List of defunct special forces units
Australia
- No. 200 Flight RAAF
- Australian Army Training Team Vietnam
- Australian commandos
- Combined Field Intelligence Service
- Far Eastern Liaison Office
- M Special Unit
- Rose Force
- Royal Australian Navy Beach Commandos
- Services Reconnaissance Department
- Z Special Unit
- Bushveldt Carbineers
Canada
- 1st Special Service Force
- Canadian Airborne Regiment
- Amphibious Reconnaissance & Clearance Squadron
- Special Air Service Company
- Joint Task Force
Croatia
- 1st Croatian Guards Brigade
- Zrinski Battalion
- Frankopan Battalion
Ethiopia
- 103rd Commando Division - Derg government, active 1988-89
Empire of Japan
- Kamikaze
- Teishin Shudan
- Giretsu
- 1st Yokosuka SNLF
- 2nd Yokosuka SNLF
- 3rd Yokosuka SNLF
- 1st Raiding Group
- 2nd Raiding Group
- Diensteinheit IX
- 40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger
- Sacred Band
- 3rd Special Forces Division
Fiji
- Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit
Ireland
- Free State Army Intelligence Department
Israel
- Palmach
- Unit 101
- Samson Unit
- Force 100
- Sayeret Haruv
- TAT'ZAM
Kingdom of Italy
- Army : 10th Arditi Regiment
- Navy : Decima Flottiglia MAS
- Air Force : A.D.R.A. Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica
- Brandenburg Lehr und Bau Battalion zbV 800 – December 1939
- * 1. Company - Baltic/ Russian
- * 2. Company - English/ North and South Africa
- * 3. Company - Sudeten German/ Balkans
- * 4. Company - Volkdeutshe/ Eastern ethnic German
- * Motorcycle platoon
- * Parachute platoon
- Brandenburg Lehr-Regiment zbV 800 – 1941–1943
- * 1st Battalion, at Brandenburg
- * 2nd Battalion at Baden
- * 3rd Battalion at Baden
- * Intelligence Battalion
- * Coastal Raiding Company
- * Sonderverbrand 287 - Arab volunteers with brandenburg volunteer core
- * Sonderverbrand 288 - All German
HQ staff at Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg
- Verband 801, based in Brandenburg an der Havel
- * I. Battalion
- * II. Battalion
- * III. Battalion
- Verband 802, base in Admont, Steiermark
- * I. Gebirgsjäger Battalion
- * II. Gebirgsjäger Battalion
- * III. Gebirgsjäger Battalion
- Verband 803, based in Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia
- * I. Battalion
- * II. Battalion
- * III. Battalion
- * 13. Legionärs Company
- Verband 804, based in Langenargen, Bodensee
- * I. Legionärs Battalion
- * II. Legionärs Battalion
- * III. Legionärs Bataillon
- Verband 805, based in Brandenburg an der Havel
- Intelligence Detachment 800
- * 5X Company
- Intelligence Support Detachment 800
- * 4X Company
- Coastal Rangers Detachment 800, based at Langenargen, Bodensee
- * 4X Company
- Signals Detachment 800
- * 3X Company
- Training Unit, Gut „Quenzsee“, based near Brandenburg
- Lehrkommandos 200, 250, 300, 350, and 700
- Kampfgeschwader 200
- Jagdverband 44
- Sonderlehrgang z.b.V. „Oranienburg“
- Sonderverband z. b. V. "Friedenthal"
- 502nd SS Jäger Battalion
- 500th SS Jäger Battalion
- 600th SS Jäger Battalion
- SS-Jagdverband
- *SS-Jagdverband Mitte
- **150th SS Panzer Brigade
- **Division Schwedt Kampfgruppe/Sperrverband Skorzeny
- *SS-Jagdverband Nordwest
- *SS-Jagdverband Ost
- *SS-Jagdverband Südost
- *SS-Jagdverband Südwest
- Korps Speciale Troepen
- Wawelberg Group
- Cichociemni
- Independent Grenadiers Company
- Battalion Parasol
- 1st Assault Battalion
Portugal
- Caçadores Especiais
- Flechas
- Grupos Especiais
Rhodesia
- Selous Scouts
- Rhodesian Special Air Service
Serbia
- Counter-Terrorist Unit, MUP, merged into Special Anti-Terrorist Unit
- Special Operations Unit, SDB, disbanded
South Africa
- South African Special Forces
- *1 Reconnaissance Commando
- * 2 Reconnaissance Commando
- * 3 Reconnaissance Commando
- * 6 Reconnaissance Commando
- 31 Battalion "the Bushman Battalion" Originally "Alpha Group"
- * 31 Battalion Recce Wing
- 32 Battalion 'The Terrible Ones' Originally "Bravo Group"
- * 32 Battalion Recce Wing
- Civil Cooperation Bureau
- Hunter Group
- Koevoet
- 44 Parachute Brigade Pathfinder Company 'The Philistines'
Syria
- Defense companies
- Struggle Companies
Turkey
- Special Warfare Department
United Kingdom
- Army Commandos
- * No. 1 Commando
- * No. 2 Commando
- * No. 3 Commando
- * No. 4 Commando
- * No. 5 Commando
- * No. 6 Commando
- * No. 7 Commando
- * No. 8 Commando
- * No. 9 Commando
- * No. 10 Commando
- * No. 11 Commando
- * No. 12 Commando
- * No. 14 Commando
- * No. 30 Commando
- * No. 50 Commando
- * No. 51 Commando
- * No. 52 Commando
- * No. 62 Commando
- * Middle East Commando
- Long Range Penetration Group “The Chindits”
- Ferret Force
- Phantom
- Layforce
- Long Range Desert Group
- Popski's Private Army
- Raiding Support Regiment
- Special Interrogation Group
- T-Force
- V-Force
- Z Force
- Royal Air Force Commandos
- Royal Marine Detachment 385
- Sea Reconnaissance Unit
- Royal Marine Demolition Unit
- Royal Navy Commandos - 22 units each consisting of 10 officers and 65 ratings
- 30 Assault Unit
- Combined Operations Pilotage Parties
- Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment The “Cockleshell Heroes”
- Special Operations Executive
- * Force 133
- *Force 136
- * Force 137
- * Force 266
- * Force 399
- *Norwegian Independent Company 1
- *Small Scale Raiding Force "62 Commando"
- UK and the Royal Navy Volunteer Group
- Special Reconnaissance Unit
- 14 Intelligence Company "The Det"
- The Increment
United States
;World War II
- 1st Air Commando Group
- 1st Special Service Force "Devil's Brigade"
- 2nd Air Commando Group
- 3rd Air Commando Group
- 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit "Alamo Scouts"
- Alaskan Scouts
- Army Ranger Battalions
- 5307th Composite Unit "Merrill's Marauders"
- Marine Raiders
- *1st and 2nd Raider Regiment
- *1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Raider Battalions
- Observer Group
- Sino-American Cooperative Organization
- * Naval Group, China
- Naval Scouts and Raiders
- Navy Combat Demolition Units
- US Navy Beach Jumpers
- Office of Strategic Services
- * 2641st Special Group
- * 2671st Special Reconnaissance Battalion
- * 2677th Office of Strategic Services Regiment
- * US Army Air Forces Carpetbaggers
- * OSS Detachment 101
- * OSS Detachment 202
- * OSS Detachment 303
- * OSS Detachment 404
- * OSS Detachment 505
- * OSS Jedburgh Teams
- * OSS Operational Groups
- * OSS Maritime Unit
- ** OSS Maritime Unit, Operational Swimmer Group
- * OSS Weather Observers
- Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force
- Air Resupply And Communications Service
- *580th Air Resupply and Communications Wing
- *581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing
- *582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wing
- Airborne Ranger Companies
- Combined Command Reconnaissance Activities, Korea
- * 6167th Air Base Group
- **6167th Operations Squadron
- **B Flight, 6167th ABG
- Detachment 1, 6160th ABG/22nd Crash Boat Rescue Squadron, Korea Detachment
- Joint Advisory Commission, Korea
- Special Activities Group
- * GHQ 1st Raider Company /8227th Army Unit
- Unit 4 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, 5th AF/Special Air Missions Detachment, 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, 5th AF
- United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea
- * BAKER Section
- * Partisan Airborne Infantry Regiment
- US Navy Special Operations Group, Korea
- 46th Special Forces Company
- Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
- MIKE Force
- Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group
- Phoenix Program
- Project 404/Palace Dog
- Project "Leaping Lena"
- Project DELTA
- Project GAMMA
- Project Sigma and Project Omega
- Raven Forward Air Controllers
- Tiger Force
- US Navy Boat Support Units
- 1st Battalion, 245th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
- 5th Force Reconnaissance Company
- 6th Special Forces Group
- 8th Special Forces Group
- 11th Special Forces Group
- 12th Special Forces Group
- 55th Special Operations Squadron
- 129th Air Commando Group
- 129th Special Operations Aviation Company
- 437th Combat Control Squadron
- 617th Special Operations Aviation Detachment
- 745th Special Operations Squadron
- 1730th Pararescue Squadron
- Army Aviation Support Element, US Special Operations Command
- Blue Light
- Detachment A
- HAL-3 "Sea Wolves"
- HAL-4 "Red Wolves"
- HAL-5 "Blue Hawks"
- Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One
- Red Cell
- SEASPRAY
- Special Forces Groups Aviation Detachments
- Special Warfare Aviation Detachments
- * 22d Aviation Detachment
- * 23d SWAD
- * 281st Aviation Company
- Special Boat Unit 11
- Special Boat Unit 13
- Special Boat Unit 24
- Special Boat Unit 26
- Special Operations Reconnaissance
- Task Force 5
- Task Force 11
- Task Force 20 and Task Force 121
- Task Force 98
- Task Force 157
- Task Force Bayonet
- Task Force Ranger
- Underwater Demolitions Teams
- US Army Special Operations Agency
- US Army Special Operations Division
- USAF Special Operations Combat Control Team
- US Coast Guard Drug Interdiction Assist Team
- Yellow Fruit
- Naval Interdiction Forces )
Republic of Vietnam
- 1st Ranger Group - Da Nang
- 2nd Ranger Group - Pleiku
- 3rd Ranger Group - Biên Hòa
- 4th Ranger Group - Chi Long
- 5th Ranger Group - Biên Hòa
- 6th Ranger Group - Biên Hòa
- 7th Ranger Group - Saigon, attached to Airborne Division
- 8th Ranger Group - Formed in 1974-75
- 9th Ranger Group - Formed in 1974-75
- 81st Ranger Group - Biên Hòa
- 21st Ranger Group
- 22nd Ranger Group
- 23rd Ranger Group
- 24th Ranger Group
- 25th Ranger Group
- 31st Ranger Group
- 32nd Ranger Group
- 33rd Ranger Group
- 41st Ranger Border Defense Group - Chi Long HQ
- 42nd Ranger Border Defense Group - Chi Long HQ
- Project DELTA
- Project SIGMA
- Project OMEGA
- Project GAMMA
- Project CHERRY