Slovakia's 5th Special Forces Regiment

by SSG Joseph Ryan

Introduction

The Slovak Republic's Special Forces (SF) capability consists of the 5th SF Regiment (in Slovkl-5 Pluk Specialneho Urcenia, or 5th PSU). After the Slovak Republic became an independent state on 4 January 1993, work began immediately to organize an SF unit located in Zilina. On 1 November 1994, this unit was officially designated the 5th PSU. The unit is directly attached to the Armed Forces General Staff but works for the Operational Reconnaissance Bureau.

The Slovak 5th SF Regiment

The unit's official manning is 400 personnel organized into six companies. There are four special reconnaissance companies, one signal company, and one support company. Each special reconnaissance company has four 10-man reconnaissance teams. Within the teams, the rank structure is as follows: team commander and executive officer (both lieutenants), three noncommissioned officers (NCOs), and five conscripts. The three NCOs are the backbone of these teams, as is the norm for Western Special Operations forces (SOF) units. Each has one of the following technical specialties: communications, medical, and demolitions/weapons. These parallel the specialties found in U.S. Army Special Forces A-Teams. The differences between U.S. and Slovak units lie in the priorities placed on the specialties, a result of Slovakia's roots in former Soviet reconnaissance doctrine. In the West, the predominant focus of a behind-the-lines reconnaissance team is gathering intelligence. Combat is usually avoided at all costs. To allow for this, the most difficult and lengthy training for a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier is either the communications or medical specialist. The depth of this training allows a team to operate independently behind-the-lines for extended periods. The medical specialist is able to handle any medical problem up to and including minor surgery, while the communications specialist is able to communicate from great distances to the home base.

In contrast, the person with the highest level of training on the Slovak reconnaissance team is the demolition/weapons sergeant. This practice is based on former Soviet Spetsnaz (SF) doctrine, which focused on the ability to disrupt key Western facilities in advance of a Soviet invasion. In the West, an SF team would, in most cases, watch a key target and send back reports on it, with a possible follow-on mission of destroying it. For the Soviets and Slovaks, once a key target was located, it would be destroyed immediately.

The Slovak demolitions sergeant is trained in diving and underwater demolition techniques. The basic diving training takes place at the Slovak Army's engineer base at Banska Bystrica. It begins with mastering techniques in a pool and then moves on to dives in local lakes. The demolition specialist then returns to Zilina for training in combat swimming techniques, deep water diving, and underwater demolition techniques. The underwater aspect would be of greatest help in sabotaging bridges, where explosives may need to be placed on pilings underwater.

The five conscripts on the 5th PSU's reconnaissance teams are all trained in reconnaissance techniques, including the identification of foreign equipment. Additionally, they have the following specializations: Two are trained as snipers, one works with the communications sergeant, one works with the medical sergeant, and one receives further training in reconnaissance.

Conscripts are chosen for the 5th PSU based on either their high degree of physical fitness or their previous participation in related sports: parachuting, shooting, or martial arts. After receiving their initial recruit training, conscripts move into reconnaissance techniques, including camouflage, tactical movement, and sniping. Advanced training includes climbing techniques, hand-to-hand combat, close-quarter-battle shooting, sniping, and driving mechanized vehicles.

To assist in this training, the 5th PSU's base has a number of facilities, including a four-sided, 75-foot high tower. Each of the four sides has a different training function. One is set up to simulate rappeling from a helicopter; the second has various hand-holds for training in rock climbing; the third has a 36-foot smooth rope (no knots), which must be climbed using only the hands; and the fourth has four "balconies" to simulate climbing the outside of a building. There is also an obstacle course 500 meters long, with various obstacles to climb over or navigate along the way. Finally, there are various parachute training mock-ups designed to assist training and practice parachute landing falls and aircraft exits.

The 5th PSU conducts parachute jumps utilizing the LET L-410 Turbojet, an aircraft of former Czechoslovak design and manufacture. This aircraft can hold 17 to 20 parachutists. The average jump altitude for the unit is 1800 feet. Although this may seem high by U.S. standards (the 82d Airborne normally jumps at 800 to 1000 feet), the Slovaks use a former Soviet-style parachute that requires two stages to open. Initially, a small drogue chute opens to slow down and stabilize the jumper, after which the main chute follows. As a result, a higher altitude is required in order for both stages to open safely. The advantage of such a parachute is that jumpers can be dropped at faster aircraft speeds, which provides greater protection for aircraft overflying a "hot" drop zone.

There are five Slovak airborne qualification badges: 3d Class, 2d Class, 1st Class, Instructor, and Master. The 3d Class badge is awarded after five jumps under the following conditions: 1st jump—no combat equipment; 2d jump—use of a reserve parachute; 3rd jump—full combat equipment; 4th jump—a night parachute jump; and 5th jump—a tactical exercise where the jumpers have to regroup and then assault an objective. The 2d Class badge is awarded for the following jumps: 20 seconds of free fall before opening the parachute, a low-level parachute jump at 900 feet, and training on jumpmaster techniques. The 1st Class badge is awarded after 50 jumps. The Instructor badge is awarded after 100 jumps, and the Master badge after 250 jumps. The Instructor and Master badges also require additional free-fall parachuting.

In order to assist this relatively new unit improve its skills, its command structure takes advantage of any training opportunities with other Western Special Operations units. In one example, the 5th PSU took part in an exercise with the U.S. Army's 10th SF Group. This was held in the Slovak Republic and simulated joint participation in a peace-keeping operation. The objective for the two units was to discover a concentration camp through extensive zone reconnaissance.

The French Army has also taken part in exercises with the 5th PSU. In 1995, the 1st Marine Parachute Infantry Regiment (1er RPIMa—the French equivalent of the British Special Air Service) conducted a demonstration of high-altitude, high-opening (HAHO) parachuting techniques in the Slovak Republic.

In September 1996, 10 teams took part in an SF-only competition hosted by the 5th PSU. The competition was called "Anthropoid," after the code name for the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich in World War II. This exercise included teams from Romania, Ukraine, France, the United States, and Slovakia.

Summary

The 5th PSU, while relatively new, is making significant progress in its training and readiness. While its basic organization appears to be derived from Russian SOF units, it is also taking lessons from NATO SOF units. In the end the Slovaks will have small, but capable SOF units.