Romanian Special Operations Forces Command
The 1st Special Operations Regiment (Template:Lang-ro) is a Romanian Land Forces regiment formed on 1 August 2009.[1] It consists of the 1st Special Operations Battalion, the 60th Parachute Battalion, and the 498th Parachute Battalion [1]. Its headquarters is at Târgu Mureş.
1stSpecial Operations Battalion (B 1 Special Operations Battalion)
| 1st Special Operations Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2006 |
| Country | Romania |
| Branch | Romanian Land Forces |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Târgu Mureş |
| Nickname(s) | Vulturii (The Eagles) |
The 1st Special Operations Battalion (Template:Lang-ro), nicknamed "The Eagles" (Vulturii), is a Romanian elite special forces unit.[2]
In the late 1990s, the Romanian Armed Forces considered the possibility of creating a unified special operations force (SOF). The Romanian Joint Chiefs of Staff had discussions in which they sought to decide whether to keep the existing orders of battle of elite units incorporated into each separate category of forces (ground forces, the air force and the navy), or to create a new, integrated unit. They decided on the latter plan, especially considering the (at that time) future integration of Romania into NATO.
Rapid changes took place soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when the decision was made to create this new unit, which would "embed the best soldiers from all three categories of the armed forces, the ground forces, the air force and the navy" (General Chief of Staff, Gen. dr. Mihail Popescu).[citation needed]
Selection started in 2003. Four allied nations—the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Turkey—advised in the selection process, incorporating their experience into the new SOF battalion.
In preparation for the creation of the military unit, several elite units were disbanded. These included the 119th Recon Battalion in Oradea, the 56th Para battalion in Caracal-Deveselu, the 64th Para battalion at Titu-Boteni, as well as another para battalion in Câmpia Turzii. All but the last were elite units that participated in a large number of international exercises, as well as deployments abroad.
The "Special Forces Battalion" was legally created in late 2005, after several batches of graduates had already been selected. Members of the SOF battalion have benefitted from courses abroad, such as the US Army Special Forces (Green Berets) course, the Force Recon course (USMC), as well as other courses. The US Army Special Forces also sent several instructors who were stationed in Romania for periods of up to 6 months at a time. The Turkish SF were also heavily involved in counselling the selection process, due to the high number of exercises previously held in common with various units in Romania. The United Kingdom and Israel also sent instructors, although it is unclear from which units they came.
The Special Forces battalion became fully operational in 2007, with a company having been already active since 2006.
Asked if members of the unit will take part in real missions abroad, the former Defence Minister Teodor Atanasiu replied "with certainty".[3]
60th Parachute Battalion
The 60th Paratroopers Battalion "Băneasa-Otopeni" (Batalionul 60 Paraşutişti) is the main paratrooper unit of the Romanian Land Forces. It was originally formed in 1941. It was previouly subordinated to the 1st Territorial Army Corps, and its headquarters are located in Buzău.[4] The regiment was part of the 2nd Paratroopers Brigade (HQ Clinceni), which was disbanded in 2005 due to a reorganization program of the Romanian Land Forces, in order to reach NATO standards.
498th Paratroopers Battalion
The 498th Paratroopers Battalion (Batalionul 498 Paraşutişti) is a paratroopers battalion of the Romanian Land Forces, established on 30 November 1990. It was previously subordinated to the 4th Infantry Division (HQ Cluj-Napoca) and its headquarters are located at Bacău. The battalion was part of the 2nd Paratroopers Brigade (HQ Clinceni), which was disbanded in 2005 due to a reorganization program of the Romanian Land Forces, in order to reach NATO standards.
==Structure==
- 'Brigada 6th Operaţii Speciale "Mihai Viteazu"- |garrison= Târgu Mureş
**610st Special Operations Battalion (Template:Lang-ro), nicknamed "The Eagles" (Vulturii) - |garrison= Târgu Mureş
- 620rd Special Operations Battalion (Template:Lang-ro), nicknamed "The Eagles" (Vulturii) NEW!!! 2012 - |garrison= Târgu Mureş
- 60th Paratroopers Battalion "Băneasa-Otopeni" (Batalionul 60 Paraşutişti) -|garrison= Buzau
- 498th Paratroopers Battalion (Batalionul 498 Paraşutişti) -|garrison= Bacau
- 640th Logistics Battalion -|garrison= Târgu Mureş
Notes
- ^ https://www.semperfidelis.ro/e107_files/public/1258088275_159_FT497_bogdanbeleaga-p.65-69.pdf?AdobeSystemsPDFv17=c80c5a1fd12fbc68ecdcf99f1288846a29c0beda%7C1303139137#PDFP
- ^ stiri.rol.ro România recunoaşte că are batalioane de forţe speciale ("Romania admits it operates special forces battalions"), August 1, 2006
- ^ mapn.ro Minister of Defense - briefing on Romanian DoD site, March 3, 2005
- ^ Template:Ro icon Romanian Military Press, February 15, 2006.