65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade
| 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade 65th NOHED Brigade 23rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade (formerly) |
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Coat of arms
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| Active | 1959–present |
| Allegiance |
 Imperial State of Iran (1959–1979) Islamic Republic of Iran (1979–present) |
| Branch |
Imperial Army of Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Army |
| Type |
Airborne forces Special forces |
| Role |
Special operations Irregular warfare Hostage rescue Counter-terrorism Reconnaissance Wartime operations |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 23rd Commando Division (?–1991) |
| Garrison/HQ |
Baghshah (formerly) Afsariyeh Mehrabad International Airport |
| Nickname(s) | "Green Berets" (کلاه سبزها) |
| Colors | Green |
| March | 18 April (National Army Day) |
| Engagements |
Dhofar Rebellion Post-Revolution clashes in Iran Iran–Iraq War Syrian Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Amir Khosro Khosravi |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Multirole helicopter |
Bell 214 Bell UH-1N Twin Huey (Bell 212) |
| Transport |
Lockheed C-130 Hercules Boeing CH-47 Chinook |
65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade (Persian: تیپ ۶۵ نیروهای ویژه هوابرد), or the 65th NOHED Brigade (تیپ ۶۵ نوهد), is an Iranian Army Special Forces unit. Formerly being called 23rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade, it was established in 1959 and was expanded to 23rd Commando Division for some time during Iran–Iraq War.
In 1953, 10 Imperial Iranian Army officers were sent to France for parachuting training. After returning to Iran, they established the Parachute Unit (واحد چتربازی) in 1955, which was evolved into the Parachute Battalion (گردان چتربازی) in 1959. In the same year, the 23rd Special Forces Brigade (تیپ ۲۳ نیروهای ویژه) was established, consisted of 5 operational battalions, one support battalion, one communication platoon, one base company, and an unconventional warfare school. In 1970, the unit renamed to 23rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade (تیپ ۲۳ نیروهای ویژه هوابرد). A year later, a hostage rescue unit and a mental warfare company were added to the structure of the brigade. The establishment of the brigade was under supervision of American advisors from John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School. The legacy is still evident in the brigade’s green berets and qualification badge, which is nearly identical to the US Army Special Forces’ De oppresso liber unit insignia.
After the 1979 Revolution, the brigade turned into the 23rd Division (لشکر ۲۳), also known as the 23rd Commando Division (لشکر ۲۳ تکاور). In 1991, the 3rd Brigade was separated from the division and the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade (تیپ ۶۵ نیروهای ویژه هوابرد), or the 65th NOHED Brigade (تیپ ۶۵ نوهد) was formed with Afsariyeh as its headquarters. It is sometimes simply called NOHED Brigade (تیپ نوهد). The word NOHED (نوهد), also transliterated as NOWHED, is the Persian acronym for Nīrūhāye Vīzheye Havābord (نیروهای ویژه هوابرد), meaning "Airborne Special Forces".
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Wikipedia