72nd Brigade for Special Operations
Serbian special operations brigade
The 72nd Brigade for Special Operations (Serbian: 72. бригада за специјалне операције, romanized: 72. brigada za specijalne operacije) is a special forces unit, one of two special forces brigades (other being 63rd Parachute Brigade) of the Serbian Armed Forces. It is under the command of the General Staff and is based at Pančevo.
Formed in 1992, it was the elite unit of the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro. Reconfigured in 2006 to a battalion within a newly-formed Serbian Armed Forces, the "72nd" regained the status of a brigade in 2019.
History
The unit has its origins in the 72nd Special Brigade of Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro which was formed in 1992. It consisted of 1st reconnaissance-commando battalion, 2nd reconnaissance-commando battalion, MP battalion for counter-terrorist operations, and logistic unit. In 2006, 1st reconnaissance-commando battalion and 2nd reconnaissance-commando battalion merged into a single reconnaissance-commando battalion "Griffins", and battalion of military police for counter-terrorist operations became counter-terrorism battalion "Hawks".
Structure
Although with a brigade status (in order to better honor traditions of the past), 72nd Brigade for Special Operations is currently more of a battalion-size unit with proclaimed aim of reaching size of a brigade in order to readdress new defense tasks due to increased security threats.
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