The Croatian Special Operations Forces Command ( Croatian: ''Zapovjedništvo specijalnih snaga OSRH'') is one of the three independent commands of the Croatian Armed Forces, subordinate to the

General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Glavni stožer Oružanih snaga Republike Hrvatske) is a joint body of the Armed Forces of Croatia, Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia established within the Ministry ...

, whose mission is to ensure the combat readiness of the

special operations forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

for operations in defense of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the

Republic of Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mont ...

and to participate in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

and coalition-led operations. The Croatian Special Operations Forces Command was created from the Special Operations Battalion (

BSD The Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), also known as Berkeley Unix or BSD Unix, is a discontinued Unix operating system developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Berkeley, beginni ...

) which existed until December 2014, when in accordance with the provisions of the Long-Term Development Plan of the Armed Forces alongside the decree of the

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

and the Supreme Commander of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

, with the decision of the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

and by the orders of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the process of reorganization of the Special Operations Battalion started and led to the subsequent establishment of the Croatian Special Operations Forces Command (CROSOFCOM) in February 2015. The goal of the reorganization was the creation of interoperable and quickly deployable special operations forces that would be able to respond to current and future security challenges adequately. In early February 2015, the Croatian Special Operations Forces Command was established, then consisting of five organizational units. A subsequent reorganization of the CROSOFCOM followed in mid 2019 which saw an additional creation of three new Special Forces Groups, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Special Forces Groups respectively. Alongside the CROSOFCOM reorganization, the 194th Multipurpose Helicopter Squadron of the 91st Wing of the

Croatian Air Force The Croatian Air Force ( or HRZ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is tasked primarily with safeguarding the sovereignty of Croatian airspace and providing aviation support to other branches during joint operations. ...

, stood up the 3rd Special Operations Aviation Platoon which will support the CROSOFCOM with its Mil Mi-171Sh helicopters until the arrival of new UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters in 2022. The anniversary day of the Croatian Special Operations Forces Command is honored to the organization and the formation of the first special forces unit of the Croatian Armed Forces - the Zrinski Battalion, established on May 18, 1991.

History

The Zrinski Battalion ( Croatian: '' Bojna Zrinski'') was the first special forces unit of the

Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interior for legal reasons, th ...

( Croatian: ''Zbor narodne garde – ZNG'') and later of the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...

( Croatian: '' Hrvatska vojska - HV'') established in Kumrovec on May 18, 1991, during the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

. On May 18, 1991, the Zrinski Battalion was established as a

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

unit of the ZNG. The core of the unit consisted of 27 volunteers drawn from the 300-strong Kumrovec Special Police Unit ( Kumrovec SPU) with the addition of two members from the

Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit Anti-Terrorist Unit Lučko (ATU Lučko) (, also known as the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit ( is the police tactical unit of the Croatian Police stationed in Lučko near Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Initially distinguishing itself in the Croatian ...

. Initially, it relied on former

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

troops of Croatian origin. The most senior among the former legionnaires was Ante Roso, previously a ''Sous-Officier'' (non-commissioned officer – NCO) in the 4th Foreign Regiment. In consequence, Roso was tasked with setting up the unit as its initial commander.

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Miljenko Filipović, likewise a former French Foreign Legion NCO, was assigned as the battalions deputy commander. The unit was based in the village of Kumrovec in the region of

Hrvatsko Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian language, Croatian for 'backland' or 'behind the hills') is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica mount ...

, on the grounds of the former "

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

" political school, named after this communist dictator and lifetime "president" of communist SFRJ. The site, adjacent to the border of

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, was selected to be inaccessible to

Yugoslav Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ� ...

raids without violation of Slovene or possibly

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

airspace Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as outer space which is t ...

. In June 1991, the Kumrovec SPU was transferred to Sljeme Peak north of

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

leaving Kumrovec base to the Zrinski Battalion, as well as the second

unit, the

Frankopan The House of Frankopan (, , , ) was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary. The Frankopans, along with the Zrinskis, are among the mos ...

Battalion. Over the course of the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

following additional recruitment and training of volunteers the

unit Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...

reached the size of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

and at most had around 150 members. The

suffered 26 KIA before being amalgamated with other

units of the

to the 1. HGZ ( Croatian: '' 1. hrvatski gardijski zdrug'') in April 1994. The Zrinski Battalion was deployed for the first time on June 15, 1991. It was stationed in

Vukovar Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...

, tasked with the preparation of city defences and organization and training of volunteer troops in

in June, 1991. In August Filipović took over command of the battalion from Roso. The same month, the Zrinski Battalion went to Banovina, where it pushed the Croatian Serb forces out of the town of

Hrvatska Kostajnica Hrvatska Kostajnica (; ; ), also referred to as simply Kostajnica, is a town in central Croatia. It is located on the Una (Sava), Una river in the Sisak-Moslavina County, south of Petrinja and Sisak and across the river from Kostajnica, Bosnia and ...

. In September, the battalion was deployed to

Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...

, where it took part in the battle of Gospić against the JNA. Troops assigned to the battalion captured Kaniža barracks in

. During combat in

, 30 troops of the Zrinski Battalion, assisted by

, captured JNA Major General Trajče Krstevski along with three BOV Armoured Personnel Carriers ( APCs) and 32 soldiers. The unit was deployed to

Metković Metković () is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Climate Since records began in 1997, the highest temper ...

on October 28, tasked with recapturing

Slano Slano is a village in southern Croatia with a small harbour in the bay of the same name. It is located 27 km northwest of Dubrovnik. History The area of Slano was already populated in the prehistoric period (ruins of a hill-fort and tumuli ...

from the JNA. After the deployment to

, a part of the unit personnel left to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

anticipating further conflict there, while the remainder of the unit returned to Kumrovec. The ZNG was renamed the

( Croatian: ''Hrvatska vojska – HV'') on November 3, 1991. In late 1991, some of the personnel of the Zrinski Battalion were transferred to set up another

unit of the HV - the Matija Vlačić Battalion based in

Opatija Opatija (; ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in northwestern Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean climate and its historic bu ...

. In 1992, elements of the Zrinski Battalion took part in the Battle of Kupres, before setting up a training camp in the town of

Tomislavgrad Tomislavgrad ( Cyrl, Томиславград, ), also known by its former name Duvno ( Cyrl, Дувно, ), is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Tomislavgrad in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosni ...

. There the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

personnel assisted in setting up and training the

Croatian Defence Council The Croatian Defence Council (, HVO) was the armed wing of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, a breakaway entity unrecognised by the international community and accused of ethnic-based violence during the conflict. It exis ...

( Croatian: '' Hrvatsko vijeće obrane - HVO''). Later that year, elements of the battalion took part in Operation Tiger - aimed at lifting of the

Siege of Dubrovnik The siege of Dubrovnik ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, opsada Dubrovnika, опсада Дубровника) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings dur ...

. In 1993, elements of the Zrinski Battalion took part in Operation Maslenica, fighting in the area of

Škabrnja Škabrnja is a village and a municipality in northern Dalmatia, Croatia, located halfway between Zadar and Benkovac, in the lowland region of Ravni Kotari. The municipality includes the village of Škabrnja with a population of 1,413, as well as t ...

. The

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

assessed the Zrinski Battalion as one of the best units of the HV. On 25 February 1994, the Zrinski Battalion was amalgamated with parts of other special forces units of the HV:

Battalion, Ban Jelačić Battalion, Matija Vlačić Battalion, Ferdo Sučić Battalion, Alpha Battalion and parts of 8th Light Assault Brigade of the Croatian Military Police forming the 1st Croatian Guards Brigade ( Croatian: ''1. hrvatski gardijski zdrug''), a component of the 1st Croatian Guards Corps ( Croatian: '' 1. hrvatski gardijski zbor''), directly subordinated to the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

rather than the

. The 1.HGZ took part in several important battles of the

and the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. In late November and December 1994, it participated in Operation Winter '94, the joint offensive of the HV and the

( Croatian: ''Hrvatsko vijeće obrane - HVO'') which pushed the

Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...

( Croatian: ''Vojska Republike Srpske'' – VRS) from the western parts of the Livanjsko polje in

. Elements of the HGZ also saw action along the

Novska Novska is a town in the Sisak-Moslavina County of Croatia. It is located in western part of the historic region of Slavonia, between Kutina and Nova Gradiška, linear distance southeast of the capital, Zagreb. Climate Since records began in 198 ...

Okučani Okučani is a village and municipal centre in Brod-Posavina, western Slavonia, Croatia. It is located 19 km southeast of Novska and 17 km west of Nova Gradiška.HV's

Operation Flash Operation Flash ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Bljesak, separator=" / ", Операција Бљесак) was a brief Croatian Army (HV) offensive conducted against the forces of the self-declared proto-state Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) from ...

offensive that took place in western

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

in early May 1995. By this time, the HGZ also commanded its own artillery and Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunships, in addition to

Mil Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union, Soviet Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the 1960s and introduced into the ...

transport helicopter A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply ...

s. The HGZ redeployed west of

Livno Livno ( Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: ''Ливно'', ) is a town and the administrative center of the Township of Livno and Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bis ...

once again in early June to take part in Operation Leap 2, extending the salient that had been created in late 1994 towards

Bosansko Grahovo Bosansko Grahovo ( sr-cyr, Босанско Грахово) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Bosansko Grahovo in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in western ...

and

Glamoč Glamoč ( sr-cyrl, Гламоч) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Glamoč in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the fo ...

. The unit participated in the capture of those towns in late July, 1995 during Operation Summer '95. In preparation for

Operation Storm Operation Storm ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Oluja, separator=" / ", Операција Олуја) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory f ...

, the HV 4th Guards and 7th Guards Brigades were pulled back from positions facing the VRS that had been established during Operation Summer '95 and were repositioned south towards the

Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina The Serbian Army of Krajina (SAK, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srpska vojska Krajine, Српска војска Крајине, abbr. SVK), also known as the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina or Krajina Serbian Army, was the armed forces of the Republi ...

( ARSK). The ARSK was protecting the northern approaches to

Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...

− the capital of the unrecognized

Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Република Српска Крајина, Republika Srpska Krajina, separator=" / ", ; abbr. РСК / RSK), known as the Serbian Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српск� ...

− which

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

claimed as part of its own territory. As the two brigades turned over the positions north and west of

to the HV 81st Guards Battalion, the 1. HGZ was deployed to the rear of the battalion, tasked with intervening in case of any VRS attack towards

. On the second day of the operation, August 6, 1995 after

was captured by the HV, the HGZ was airlifted from the Livanjsko field to the village of Rovanjska north of

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

. They then linked up with the 2nd Battalion ''Thermites'' of the 9th Guards Brigade and advanced east to capture the villages of Muškovac and Kaštel Žegarski. On August 8, the 1. HGZ participated in an operation against the last significant

pocket in the area of

Donji Lapac Donji Lapac ( sr-Cyrl, Доњи Лапац) is a settlement and a municipality in Lika, Croatia. Geography Donji Lapac is located a region of eastern Lika called ''Ličko Pounje'', by the river Una (Sava), Una that flows near the town in the val ...

and Srb, alongside the three guards brigades and

special police forces Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agen ...

. In September 1995, the HGZ took part in Operation Mistral 2, which extended HV and

control in western

and captured the towns of

Jajce Jajce ( sr-Cyrl, Јајце) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, wi ...

Šipovo Šipovo ( sr-cyrl, Шипово) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the southern part of the Bosanska Krajina region. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,293 inhabitants, while the town of � ...

and

Drvar Drvar (, ) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Drvar in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the road between Bosansko Grahovo an ...

, moving the confrontation line north towards the

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

capital of

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

. In October, the 1. HGZ also participated in Operation Southern Move, which captured the town of

Mrkonjić Grad Mrkonjić Grad ( sr-cyrl, Мркоњић Град, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina region, between Banja Luka and Jajce. As of 2013, the municipality has a populatio ...

, and reached the southern slopes of Mount Manjača, south of

. During the

, 75 members of Zrinski Battalion, 1. HGZ and other

units of the

were

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

, 286 were wounded and 2 are MIA. The 1. HGZ was disbanded in 2000 and its constituents were reorganized. A part of the HGZ was amalgamated with the Special Combat Skills Centre in Šepurine to form the Special Operations Battalion ( Croatian: ''Bojna za specijalna djelovanja - BSD''). The remainder of the unit was amalgamated with the Reconnaissance-Sabotage Company based in

Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...

, the 350th Sabotage Detachment, the 280th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platoon, and the 275th Electronic Warfare Company to form the 350th Military Intelligence Battalion. The elements of the 1st Croatian Guards Corps which were tasked with security of the

and ceremonial duties were reorganized and the Honor Guard Battalion was established. The Special Operations Battalion consisted of one command section and five companies, each specialized for a different variety of missions: 1st Special Operations Company specialized for airborne and pathfinder operations, 2nd Special Operations Company specialized for alpine and mountain operations, 3rd Special Operations Company specialized for naval and amphibious operations, 4th Special Operations Company specialized for urban and anti-terrorist operations and Fire Support Company specialized for sniper and mortar training and fire support with snipers to other four BSD companies. The Special Operations Battalion reorganization and transformation into the Croatian Special Operations Forces Command was completed in February 2015.

Structure and Organization

Current organization

*Command Company - responsible for command, control and communications, supplies, medical personnel and transport *Training "Uskok" Company *1st Commando Battalion "Zrinski" - specialized for special operations on land, airborne and mountain *2nd Combat Divers Battalion "Delte" - specialized for special operations at sea *3rd Special Operation Aviation Squadron - equipped with 8 Mi-17, 2 Sikorsky UH-60M all helicopters are to be equipped with M134Gs *4th Special Air Operations Group - is a SAS-like force trained for special operations in various environments. Specialized for counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, special operations on land, water, and air, VIP security operations. *5th Psychological Operations Group - specialized in

psychological operations Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), has been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Min ...

*Support company - provides all sorts of support needed for the everyday function of the CROSOFCOM. Also known to have a K9 section. The Special Operations Forces Command combines capabilities through four complementary elements: command, operational, support and training elements. The command element prepares and directs individuals, units and commands to operations / special operations or activities that have the character of operations. The command element is in support of the CAF chain of command in the planning and implementation of special operations, preparation and training of forces, strengthening the command at the strategic and operational level and performing other tasks of interest to the functioning of the CAF. The operational element consists of the Special Forces Groups, one ground group (SO(L)TG) and one naval group (SO(M)TG), intended for planning and implementation of special operations, independently without support or with the support of other components of CROSOFCOM and the Croatian Armed Forces. Special Forces Groups consist of a Command with S-1 to S-6 functions, Special Operations Task Units(SOTU), and a combat support platoon with combat support elements. Special Operations Forces teams are composed of 12 members who, in accordance with their tasks, develop the ability of (separate) independent action and reorganization of up to 24 members. The operational element also has a part of the forces grouped in the Commando Company which carries out operations independently or as part of other operational forces. The support element is the holder of all forms of administrative and logistical support that are necessary for the daily functioning, life and work of the CROSOFCOM, and if necessary strengthens the Special Forces Group with the necessary support elements such as EOD specialists, K9 handlers etc. The training element is the holder of Special Forces training, which includes selection and the qualification course, and training of advanced skills to Special Operations Forces operatives.

International cooperation

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States A ...

* Special Operations Command Europe *

10th Special Forces Group The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (10th SFG (A), or 10th Group) is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) Group. 10th Group is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: Unconventional warfare (United States), ...

19th Special Forces Group The 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (19th SFG) (A) is one of two National Guard of the United States, National Guard groups of the United States Army Special Forces. 19th Group—as it is sometimes called—is designed to deploy and execut ...

* Naval Special Warfare Unit 2 * German Special Forces *

Polish Special Forces The Special Troops Command () is the special forces Command (military formation), command of the Polish Armed Forces (SZ RP). The command was formed in 2007 and is the fourth military branch of the SZ RP. Composition The Special Troops Command (' ...

* UK Special Forces * CEDC Special Forces

Gallery

File:Croatian forces at Combined Resolve II (14213939806).jpg, Image:Padobranac DanOSRH 2011.JPG, Image:Taktička vježba BSD.jpg, Image:Camac Bljesak2 BSDDanOSRH 2011.JPG, Image:Kanu DanOSRH 2011.JPG, Image:Ronilica R-2 DanOSRH 2011.JPG, Image:BOV BSD.jpg, File:Special Forces train for Combined Resolve II 140515-A-HE359-219.jpg,

References

Sources

;Books * * * * * ;Scientific journal articles * ;News reports * * * * * * * * * * ;Other sources * * * *

External links

Croatian Armed Forces Official website

* * *https://obris.org/hrvatska/hranj-moj-plan-za-os-rh/ *https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2019_09_87_1753.html *https://obris.org/hrvatska/brigadir-milos-novi-zapovjednik-zss-a/ *https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/evo-kako-se-specijaci-pripremaju-za-najslozenije-vojne-zadace-i-borbu-protiv-terorista-1414825 {{Military of Croatia Military units and formations of Croatia 2015 establishments in Croatia Military units and formations established in 2015 Military counterterrorist organizations