2nd Infantry Battalion – ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Mission and Tasks

Mission:

To conduct offensive and defensive operations in order to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the territory of the Republic;
To cooperate with MIA in the area of border guard;
To support civilian government when alleviating the aftermaths of natural and other disasters;
To support peacekeeping operations and humanitarian operations out of the Republic;
Combat readiness level has been reached and maintained making progress in many areas, primarily training and preparing for TELA;
Battalion units have completely reached the necessary combat readiness level.

Tasks:

Personnel physical readiness;
Firearms training of individuals and units;
Training according to BMP;
Specialized-professional training;
Personnel training for peacekeeping missions participation;
English language training.

Commander

Lieutenant Colonel Risto Stoev

History

History of the 2^nd IBn

The unit exists from the formation of the ARM.

From April 15, 1992 to September 1, 2000, the unit was called the 1^st Infantry Battalion, part of the 11^th Infantry Brigade, until 1996 when it was named “Scorpions”.

2008, Intensive period of training and self-evaluation for SEL-1 and NATO evaluation for NEL-1.

2009, Self-evaluation for SEL-2.

The unit has been trained for LEVEL-2 according to the NATO Operational Capabilities Concept.

Training is conducted according to the Annual Plan, Schedule of activities for the current year.

At the exercise, Macedonian Flash 05 the battalion executed Level 2 self-evaluation LEVEL-2 as a Declared Medium Infantry Battalion.

From September 1^st, 2000, 1^st Infantry Battalion was transformed into 2^nd Infantry Battalion of the 1^st Infantry Brigade.

Since April 2, 2012 it has been transformed in accordance with the last formation structure of the Army.

From its formation until today the battalion participated in 24 international military exercises organized by NATO and the PfP countries contributing with personnel and combat technique and it competently represented ARM and the Republic Macedonia.

On the 15^th of August 2011, the 2^nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion was decorated with a Medal for Merit delivered by the President of the Republic of Macedonia PhD Gjorge Ivanov.

With the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia as a full member of NATO, the unit underwent transformation in 2020. The process and preparations began for the unit’s evaluation and its declaration as a Light Infantry Battalion within NATO’s forces pool. The implementation and maintenance of NATO standards, as a full member of the Alliance, were carried out through the declaration of the unit as a nationally significant capability.

In January 2021, the General Staff of the Army issued the Development and Maintenance Plan for the Light Infantry Battalion. This plan represented a unified, comprehensive document in which the following objectives were defined:

-To establish the organizational and structural framework of the Light Infantry Battalion – a unit designated as a Capability Target accepted by the Republic of North Macedonia as part of the Army’s capabilities – belonging to the Forces of Low Readiness for deployment in NATO-led operations.

The evaluation of the unit as mission capable and its declaration as a nationally significant capability, along with the implementation and maintenance of NATO standards in training and combat readiness, were priorities in 2022. The evaluation process was conducted across all areas of combat readiness in accordance with CREVAL criteria, and the unit was assessed as mission capable—a Force of Low Readiness for deployment in NATO-led operations.

With the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia as a full member of NATO and the transformation of the unit in 2020, it participated in many international military exercises: