Army
Special Forces Corps
The recent
war in former Yugoslavia showed the importance
of special operations units, which prompted
the Yugoslav Army (VJ) to form a Special Forces
Corps in August 1992. Initially, the unit was
shrouded in secrecy and little details were
known, but over time, news reports and media
coverage helped to reveal some details about
it.
The
Special Force Corps is the elite unit of the
land forces for operations under armored vehicle
protection. The SFC includes a motorized and
mechanized guards brigade (armored vehicles
with wheels and tracks), and consists of about
1,000 men.
The
63d Paratroop Brigade is stationed at Nis
and belongs to the airborne units in charge
of transport, jumping with various parachuting
techniques. The unit uses night parachute
jumps to gain the advantage of surprise prior
to attacking an objective. Several units were
stationed in Bosnia during 1993 and 1994 without
being properly deployed in actions or in clashes
with para-military troops. Although it is
called a brigade and should therefore have
a strength of from 2,000 to 4,000 paratroops,
the number of its members in peacetime is
a rather smaller number of volunteer paratroops.
Transportation is done by Antonov-26 aircraft,
which can take 40 paratroops each (six aircraft
go together) and Antonov-12 of an older generation
(requiring 12 aircraft) that take 100 parachutists
each.
The
72d Special Brigade (Commando) is an air force
transport brigade equipped with Mil Mi-8 helicopters.
It currently has fewer members (500) than
at the time of its formation in the early
1990s. The 72d Brigade was mobilized in 1996
to intervene in the student demonstrations
in Belgrade, developed from the 63d Brigade,
whose members are mostly soldiers bound with
a contract.
A counter-terrorist
unit, Kobre (Cobras) is also under the control
of the Special Force Corps. Their use is regulated
by a special document from the chief of the
General Staff. Highly trained in anti-terrorist
actions, the Cobras, and a similar unit, Sokolovi
(Falcons/Hawks), are equipped and armed with
a variety of sophisticated gear, including
silencers, optic-electronic devices for night
operations, and equipment for temporarily
rendering targets helpless. Mobility is provided
by special combat and non-combat vehicles.The
Cobra unit consists of two platoons and a
total of 60 members, who are trained for activities
with unconventional weapons such as crossbows,
and which may have been involved in the recent
fighting in Kosovo.
Units
of the VJ can be used in certain situations
against terrorists. However, from the standpoint
of organization and capabilities for antiterrorist
actions, existing special purpose units of
the VJ for antiterrorist and antisabotage
activities are used most often. The first
such anti-terrorist unit was created in 1978.
Members of these units qualified for increased
security and the protection of the highest
military individuals, and, in certain cases,
government officials, and especially for freeing
hostages.
Information
provided courtesy of Peter Tomich.
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