Fernspählehrkompanie 200 The Fernspählehrkompanie 200 or short FSLK200 ( roughly translated : Special Surveillance and Reconnaissance Instruction Company 200 ) is a highly specialized unit of the German Army . " Fernspäher " is an aged and venerable term for elite reconnaissance troopers , relating to German " fern " ( in this context " over long distances " ) and " Späher " ( scout ) . Thus , " Fernspäher " are reconnaissance soldiers who cover great distances to gather intelligence and fulfill their mission . In October 2011 the German ministry of defence announced that FSLK 200 will be deactivated . History . Until the activation of the German Army ' s " Kommando Spezialkräfte " ( Special Forces Command ) in late 1996 , the land arm of the Bundeswehr had three Fernspäher Companies ( 100 , 200 and 300 ) with one being assigned to each Corps . The first unit of this kind was trained and commanded by Major Konrad Rittmeyer . Former German armies did not know the concept of long range reconnaissance . Rittmeyer studied the Finnish Army ' s WWII long - range patrol teams that conducted reconnaissance , sabotage , and prisoner capture missions as far as 300 km deep into Soviet territory , surviving for days on carried supplies or weeks on parachute dropped resupplies ; furthermore he drew on the special skills of German " Gebirgsjäger " ( mountain infantry ) , " Fallschirmjäger " ( parachute infantry ) , and the special forces of Germany ' s NATO allies . Rittmeyer ' s initial Fernspäh company , back in the day simply designated as " Lehrgruppe R " ( " Training Group R " ) , quickly reflagged as " Fernspählehrkompanie 200 " . His concept proved prolific enough to allow the creation of a Fernspäher school in Weingarten , South Germany . This institution would eventually reflag as the International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School ( ILRRPS ) and later move to Pfullendorf . From May 2001 it was called the International Special Training Center ( ISTC ) . ILRRPS provided training for comparable units from Belgium , Denmark , Greece , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Turkey , and the USA . Initially the British Special Air Service provided the Commanding Officer and some instructors for ILRRPS however they later withdrew from participation . When the Special Forces Command was activated in 1996 , many of the ranks were filled with personnel from " Fernspähkompanie 100 " and " Fernspähkompanie 300 " which disbanded at last . The " - lehr " within " Fernspäh - lehr - kompanie 200 " designates a very special task of this unit : It is the " Lehrtruppenteil " ( roughly translated : training and demonstration unit ) for the German special forces , and as such the company does training for other troops as well as field evaluation and demonstration of new tactics and equipment . It still has a clearly offensive role though , which attracted further interest again after the September 11 , 2001 attacks and the following operations against international terrorism . " Fernspählehrkompanie 200 " answers directly to the Special Operations Division ( " Division Spezielle Operationen " ) of the German Army and is also a part of the recently created " Army Reconnaissance Troops " ( Heeresaufklärungstruppe ) . Prior to 2007 , the Fernspähtruppe was an independent formation within the German Army . Their beret insignia displayed an eagle ( as the common symbol of all airborne troops of the German Army ) with a set of lightning bolts in its claws , dropping down in front of crossed lances ( which are the traditional insignia of German cavalry forces ) . Structure of " Fernspählehrkompanie 200 " . The FSLK 200 consists of four SR - platoon s , an additional special applications SR - platoon ( covering the technical aspects of intelligence gathering as well as analysis of gathered data ) , a special applications maintenance group , a special applications support group , two specialized medical squads and a specialized military intelligence platoon . The overall - strength amounts to more than 220 troops . In October 2011 the German ministry of defence announced that FSLK 200 will be deactivated . Missions . As with all German armed forces , FSLK200 needs the approval of the German Bundestag to participate in foreign deployments . This permission can however be obtained subsequently if the situation requires immediate action . Details about operations of the FSLK 200 are kept secret . Nonetheless it is known that Fernspäher carried out missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina , during the Kosovo War and later during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan . Additionally , Fernspäher soldiers were deployed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2006 as a part of the European Union mission EUFOR RD Congo . Weaponry . The arsenal of the Fernspäher is mainly based on stock issued weapons of the Bundeswehr , but with special additions not available to regular troops . The main weapon system is the Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle , followed by the HK MP5 SMG in several variants . Heavy weapons include the Bundeswehr ' s GPMG Rheinmetall MG3 , the HK G8 Machine gun , and sniper rifles G22 / G24 produced by Accuracy International . The basic sidearm is the HK P12 - pistol , a . 45 ACP Heckler & Koch USP Tactical variant .