Inside KSK

The Kommando Spezialkräfte, or KSK for short, is considered the best-trained unit of the German Armed Forces and is often compared to the U.S. Navy SEALS or the British Army's Special Air Service. Those who wish to become commandos must pass extremely demanding physical and psychological selection processes, such as the so-called Hell Week, be characteristically suitable, and complete a unique multi-year specialized training program. Originally established to rescue German citizens taken hostage abroad and to combat international terrorism, missions—whether in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Africa, or elsewhere in the world—are always kept strictly secret, even when they involve training missions rather than combat operations. The Graf Zeppelin Barracks in Calw, Baden-Württemberg, which serves as the KSK headquarters, is correspondingly isolated, currently housing around 1,200 operational and support personnel. However, as mysterious as this elite unit may be, it is equally controversial, not least due to numerous scandals: ammunition theft, questionable party rituals, and the involvement of some commandos in far-right extremist networks and the Reichsbürger movement. Former Master Sergeant Philipp Schaaf served nearly 20 years with the KSK. He was regarded as a model soldier, completed several overseas missions, rose to the leadership team of his company, and was deployed as a liaison officer at the Bundeswehr's Operations Command. In an honest and self-critical reflection on his service, he provides insights into the hidden inner workings of the elite unit, recounts the hardships of the isolated training, shares stories of secret missions where German soldiers lost their lives, and uncovers the background of the largest scandal in KSK history, which ultimately brought him under scrutiny from the Military Counterintelligence Service and the public prosecutor's office.