Batalionul 1 Operatii Speciale "Vulturii" - 1st Special Operations battalion - "The Eagles" The Romanian Armed Forces already had several special operations forces which belonged to different branches of the military. After a study which spanned several years, a decision was taken in 2003 to keep some of them in the future, but disband other and establish an integrated special forces battalion which will have a response time of 72 hours, similar to Delta Force, SEAL DEVGRU or the 22nd SAS Sabre squadrons. The new battalion represents the main SOF unit of the military. US Equivalents: Delta Force, SEAL DEVGRU, Army Special Forces (all J-SOC components) History Characteristics Admission Training Weapons Order of Battle Exercises Operations Stories

Thus, the airborne special operations battalions were all re-named "paratrooper battalions", and three of them were disbanded. Those were the 56th Para bn in Caracal-Deveselu, 64th Para bn from Titu-Boteni and the battalion from Campia Turzii. From the scouting formations, the 404th Scouting center, the best in the country, was enveloped in a shadow of secrecy and, unknown to the public for roughly 5 years, became today's HumInt battalion. At least three other scouting battalions were disbanded, including the famous 119th from Oradea, who's men have participated at a large number of international exercises. The commander of the 119th Scouting battalion was col. Constantin Stiop. The Marine battalion remained an elite unit, however the rest of the Marine Brigade is now disbanded and the subunits which remained are incorporated into the 34th Light Infantry Brigade. The special operations detachment DIR, company-sized, was transfered from the 30th Guard Brigade "Mihai Viteazul" to the same J-2 that used to control the ex-404th scouting center. After this movement, the 30th Guard Brig. lost one of its three battalions and was downsized to the nowadays 30th Guard regiment "Mihai Viteazul". Furthermore, DIR was again transferred to the command of the Military Police, until finally being incorporated into the Special Operations Command.

359x380, 29kb JPEG Battalion commander during the ceremony

Batalionul 1 Operatii Speciale "Vulturii", or the 1st Special Operations Battalion "Eagles" received its combat flag according to Presidential Decret no. 1011 from 25 july 2006. The combat flag was handed to battalion commander, col. Constantin Stiop, by President Traian Basescu during a ceremony on 17 october 2006, at the unit headquarters at UM 01010 in Targu Mures. Also present at the ceremony were the new General Chief of Staff Vice-Admiral dr. Gheorghe Marin, general-lt Sorin Ioan, Corneliu Dobritoiu, MoD secretary of state for defense policy and planification, and Targu Mures mayor Dorin Florea. General-lt Sorin Ioan, at that time commander in chief of the Ground Forces, can be called the "father" of this battalion. Viceadmiral dr. Gheorghe Marin had been very recently appointed after the dismissal of the former general chief of staff, general Badalan. Secretary of state Corneliu Dobritoiu is a mysterious and unknown person, probably in one of his first public appearances. Battalion commander, col. Constantin Stiop, was the former commander of the 119th Scouting battalion in Oradea, now disbanded. The 119th was a spearhead of the Romanian scouting community and had participated in a large number of international exercises prior to its disbandment.

1024x682, 101 kb JPEG Col. Constantin Stiop receives the combat flag of the 1st Special Operations Battalion "Eagles" from President Traian Basescu Targu Mures, 17 october 2006

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Admission The selection process for the battalion started in 2003. For the first batch, soldiers which had just returned from duty tours in Afghanistan and Iraq were allowed to attend. After the pre-selection, which had an initial pool of 1,500 men, only 400 were selected to attend the true selection process. Out of those 400, 220 remained after the first phase, and only 20 have graduated. Thus, the first batch, even though comprising of a pool of older troops with combat experience, had a failure rate of 95% during the selection process, and 98.7% total failure rate (including preselection). But the US Army Special Forces were not the only advisors which helped create this battalion. At least three other countries are known to have participated with instructors and expertise. Israel, which always had close ties with Romania, sent instructors and advisors throughout the selection process of all the batches. Turkish Special Forces also sent instructors, as it is known that the Romanian and Turkish elite units have been holding common exercises on a yearly basis in the past decade or more. British Special Forces are also known to have helped, with instructors, advisers and expertise. Other countries' contribution is rumoured to exist, but has never been confirmed. Two Romanian SF officers were sent to the US to study at various military institutes and gather expertise. Both of them have made, separately, a master's degree study regarding Special Forces methods, characteristics and capabilities in the 21st century. They received their master's degree in the US, according to American standars. Several other RoSOF personnel benefitted from slots in foreign specops training processes. As such, several graduates of US Army Special Forces (Green Berets), US Army Rangers, US Army Delta Force, US Marine Force Recon and apparently British SAS are now full time members of the Eagles battalion. Back to menu

 

Training
The training methods of the battalion are obviously classified. Judging from video sequences and interviews, it can be said however that the battalion trains on all possible terrain and for a large variety of missions. Direct action, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering, hostage rescuing, sabotage, airborne insertion, intractions, extractions, close protection, as well as other operations are expected to be performed by this unit so the training is up to standards. Since many of the members of this unit have completed selection courses and training sessions abroad, they have also participated to training sessions in various circumstances which could not have been emulated on national soil. As such, the men which have undertaken the SF courses have been to jungle environments, while others have been close to the arctic region, etc.	360x246, 15kb JPEG
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Weapons
There is little information available regarding the weapons employed by the battalion. Members of the battalion have been known to employ the M-4 Call Commander 5.56mm assault rifle, which is used in the US and UK as the primary weapon of choise for special forces. The Eagles also used brand new armoured Humvee's, at least 8 of them being in the arsenal of the battalion by the end of 2006. Some of the Humvee's are fitted with 50mm submachineguns to increase firepower. Romania ordered 16 Humvee's originally, but their number was increased later during the year to 24. Eight of them have arrived at the 1st SOF battalion Eagles, 8 at the Humint battalion and 8 at the 265th MP battalion in Bucharest. Officially it has been stated that the Humvee's would only be used in the interior of military camps during deployments abroad, however fitting them with high calibre machineguns would seem to suggest otherwise. It has been rumoured that some military commanders are unhappy with the idea of sending Romanian troops to combat in Humvee's, knowing they are so lightly armoured. In threatres of operations such as Iraq and Afghanistan, the US soldiers have constantly been under attack from insurgents and hundreds have died due to lack of proper armour protection. On the other hand, the Romanians were seldom attack while patroling in their Romanian-made APC's (TAB C-79 and B-33 Zimbru). Those APC's weight 3 times more than an armoured Humvee and pack a 12.7mm and 14.5mm automatic cannons respectively. Furthermore, those cannons are within a turret, thus leaving no one outside in order to operate it.	General major Sorin Ioan, at that time chief of staff of Ground Forces (right), showing some of the weapons of the 1st bn Eagles to Corneliu Dobritoiu, state secretary for planning and defense policy (left)
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Order of Battle
The Special Forces battalion will have anywhere between 3 and 5 locations. It is already speculated that one of them could be Buzau, while another might be Constanta or Domnesti, near Bucharest. All those locations are well covered throughout this website, in the military pages. Amazingly, the headquarters of the battalion is located in Targu Mures, a county residence in central Romania. The location is that of a former armoured brigade, at the outskirts of the city. I have personally been told dozens of times, by different people who did not know each other, about the existance of the Special Forces in Targu Mures. In fact, the rumours were very persisting ever since 2003. Knowing what that means, and what facilities such a unit needs, as well as what facilities exist in various locations around the country, I have always disregarded everybody who has approached me with such information. As a proof that nobody is perfect, and we should all remain humble and weary, the Special Forces battalion was indeed located there, and I have constantly refused to see reality and give credit to a large number of individuals, some more involved than others, who have tried their best to convince me. The location was secret until a press release from the US Embassy in january 2006 has sparkled an outright scandal. The document stated that a visit from the US General Chief of Staff will visit two military locations in Romania during the next few days: the 1st CIMIC battalion in Bucharest, and the Special Forces battalion in Targu Mures. The press was quick to react, and within a matter of hours, dozens of articles were published, in all the major newspapers, online publications, as well as news statements. The Romanian Defense Ministry, as well as the Government have both denied such a unit exists there, until they were shown the print of the Embassy's official statement. After reading it, the baffled and visibly annoyed officials stated no comment and quickly rushed out of the ad-hoc press conference which came to life on the corridors of the Defense Ministry.
The Romanian authorities have asked for an explanation from the US Embassy, as well as the US Government, but no explanation was offered. That evening, the US Ambassador was summoned to the office of President Traian Basescu. It is of no apparent reason why the US has done such a "mistake", as it is well known the act was done on purpose. Half a year later, the MoD has finally admitted the existance of the 1st SF battalion Eagles, with its headquarters at UM 01010 in Targu Mures. Prior to that, several incidents happened on the Internet, where military webmasters have deleted topics and banned users which brought to discussion the name, location and/or any other information about the unit. Getting back to the HQ in Targu Mures, the site has started to suffer improvements a few years prior to the misfortunate press event. Each year, 6 or more buildings have been completely refurbished, and the conscripts which once guarded the HQ of the armoured brigade from wooden towers have been replaced with high resolution cameras, each with at least 4 different sensors. New towers and facilities appear to have been built there, while dozens of T-54, T-55 tanks, TAB-71 APCs and well over 120 pieces of 120mm mortars have been taken away, by train or by truck.	359x275, 9 KB JPEG An Eagle rappelling from an IAR-330 Puma helicopter during the combat flag awarding ceremony 17 october 2006
Although the site of UM 01010 may seem inadequate at first sight, several new structures have been built for CQB training, while the old warehouses are being refurbished for an unknown future use. Access to press has been denied so far, and the only images which have been seen by the public are small resolution photos and restrictive video shots during certain ceremonies. Back to menu

Exercises
Since various units from allied countries have helped to the creation and organization of this battalion, and also if we consider the capabilities, equipment and combat experience it will have, it is only obvious to assume the unit will hold yearly international exercise with similar units from allied countries.	360x281, 16 KB JPEG Eagle rappelling into a building. First time we can see this exercise being performed through narrow windows, out of which only the middle section is opened. 17 october 2006
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Operations In 2006, the first company of the battalion has become operational. However it is now known that members of the 1st SF bn have long been deployed to combat missions abroad, sometimes in small detachments as instructors, and most of the time as individuals incorporated into light infantry battalions. The latter tactic has also been used to deploy Mountain Hunters, Humint, Para's and Marines to real combat missions.

Afghanistan It has been admitted publicly in late 2006 that several of the KIA and injured troops in Afghanistan have been in fact members of the 1st bn Eagles. On the night between the 19th and the 20th of june, 2006, a Romanian patrol was returning to base near Kandahar, in SE Afghanistan. The official story is that the first vehicle, a Romanian made TAB-C 79 hit a landmine and was heavily damaged. Wanting to rescue his team mates and also fearing an ambush, sgt-major Laurentiu Serban, which was in a Romanian made B-33 Zimbru armoured personnel carrier (APC) jumped out and ran towards the flaming TAB C 79. As such, he stepped on a landmine which severely injured his legs and other parts of the body. It has to be reminded that there were several incidents prior to this when Romanian APCs have hit landmines in Afghanistan. Being upgrades of similar Russian design (BTR, BRDM), the Romanian indigenous TAB series have, surprisingly for some, survived all the previous hits. Although the mines were anti-tank, the Romanian APCs have been targetted in 3 explosions, all of which resulted in minor damages to the vehicles and little or no injuries to the men inside. The Talibans have tripled the explosive quantity for this latest of explosions, according to sources.

Sgt-major Costinel Valerica Slaniceanu and sgt-major Laurentiu Serban Photo from Evenimentul Zilei newspaper

The incident ended with the death of cpl. Ionel Gheorghita Dragusanu (38, unknown unit), and the injury of the following: sgt-maj's Costinel Valerica Slaniceanu (28) and Laurentiu Serban (27), 2nd lt. Dinu Razvan Manoila (25), as well as platoon leader Iosif-Adrian Luca-Micu (37). At least the first three are confirmed members of the 1st SF bn Eagles. The men were deployed within the 341st Light Infantry battalion "White Sharks" from Topraisar.
1024x836, 103 kb JPEG Sgt-maj Laurentiu Serban being decorated by the President	According to sources, although severely injured and having lost at least one foot, sgt-maj Laurentiu Serban took care of his own injury (having his right leg blown off by the blast) and then tendered for his mates. When the US helicopters arrived, sgt-maj Serban made sure his team mates were the first to be transported back to the back. Serban was the last one to be picked by the helicopters. When the battalion was officially awarded its combat flag, President Traian Basescu decorated sgt-maj Laurentiu Serban during the ceremony. Sgt-maj Slaniceanu could not be decorated at the same time due to the fact he was still in a medical facility in Germany. Sgt-maj Laurentiu Serban is also a graduate of the US Army Ranger course.	1024x822, 104 kb JPEG 17 october 2006, UM 01010 Targu Mures, 1st SF bn Eagles HQ

Iraq Romania has since 2003 a "special detachment" in Iraq. The detachment comprises of 56 men, grouped in a comand and analysis team, three intelligence teams, one mobile team, and two Shadow 600 UAVs. While the three intelligence teams might be Humint, the mobile team might be from the 1st bn Eagles. Sources have long stated that members of the 1st bn Eagles participated in combat operations in Iraq.

Iraq

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Stories
One company of the battalion has now become operational (2006)
413x275, 22 KB JPEG Eagle on top of an armoured Humvee 17 october 2006	In october 2004, the 404th Scouting Center was transormed in the Humint battalion. The location in Buzau also houses the 2nd Joint Center of Operations (Centrul 2 Intrunit) which coordinates all the Romanian troops deployed anywhere in the world. The event was celebrated with a demonstration of tactical abilities, hostage rescuing, assault of a terrorist camp and others. The battalion is now a reality, and it will become fully operational in 2007. However, the first company of the battalion has already become operational in 2006. Even prior to that event, small size detachments of the unit took part in combat operations in various parts of the world, including Afghanistan and Iraq. The Special Forces battalion represents one of the best special operations unit in Romania. Thanks to its selection process, which has an extremely high failure rate, as well as to the multi-national cooperation which for the past 5 years has helped create this unit, the battalion could also be considered one of the best special operations units in the world.

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