The Special Operations Command is an elite unit of the Brazilian Army, headquartered in Goiânia and subordinated to the Planalto Military Command and the Land Operations Command. It is a brigade-level unit adapted for guerrilla warfare and counterterrorism, forming part of the Strategic Rapid Action Force, capable of responding to both conventional and unconventional threats. Its two operational units are the 1st Special Forces Battalion and the 1st Commando Actions Battalion. Among its components, only the Special Operations Training Center, located in Niterói, is outside Goiânia. The 3rd Special Forces Company, based in Manaus, is subordinate to the Amazon Military Command. These components occasionally operate alongside the special forces of other Brazilian Armed Forces branches or police units, although there is no permanent joint command structure.
The first Brazilian special operations course was established in 1957, and the first operational unit in 1968, both within the current Paratrooper Infantry Brigade. These units have historical ties to jungle warfare training and police special forces. The special forces and commandos studied counterinsurgency tactics within the context of the Cold War and the armed struggle against the Brazilian military dictatorship. This focus continued even after redemocratization. During the Araguaia Guerrilla campaign, they applied the principle that "guerrilla warfare is fought with guerrilla tactics". The Amazon region remains a key area of interest for special operations, with plans to use these forces for indirect action against conventional invaders by organizing resistance among the local population. Since the 1990s, special forces have also been employed in securing major events and combating organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. Special operations forces were expanded into a brigade in 2002 when terrorism risk became a public concern. In 2003, the brigade was relocated to Goiânia, in central Brazil, and its current designation dates to 2014.
Army commandos and special forces operators use advanced equipment and undergo more rigorous selection and training than regular military personnel. The commandos, identified by the emblem of a dagger in a skull, are recruited from voluntary service members outside the 1st Command Actions Battalion (1st BAC). They are used for direct combat missions deep in enemy territory. Special Forces (FEs) are recruited from those already certified in the paratrooper and Command Actions courses; the difficult access to the 1st Special Forces Battalion (1st BFEsp) makes it highly prestigious within the institution. Their roles include advanced tasks such as early intelligence gathering and organizing irregular forces. Due to their secretive operations, they are also referred to as "ghosts". Both commandos and FEs rely on specialized vehicles, the Brazilian Air Force, and the Army Aviation for mobility, often entering hostile territory through infiltration. Beyond these two operational battalions, the Special Operations Command includes a Psychological Operations Battalion and a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Company (DQBRN).