Members of the most elite army unit – the Special Forces Battalion, marked March 1 – Unit’s Day and thirty years since the formation of the first Special Forces and also the first professional unit in the Army, with a military ceremony in the “Ilinden” barracks.
On this occasion, the Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska, the Army’s Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski, the first commander of the unit, retired General Miroslav Stojanovski, and the current commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Stefan Ivanovski, addressed the unit’s formation and many guests present.
In their speeches, they referred with reverence to the achievements of the unit in the past 30 years, which is not only recognized as the best of the Army for its dedication and top training, but is also the first professional unit that marked the beginning of creation of the modern Army we have today.
Minister Petrovska emphasized that over the past 30 years the Special Forces Battalion has transformed and adapted to modern challenges, demonstrating physical and strategic brilliance, meeting the strictest NATO standards in training, evaluation, and receiving numerous recognitions from our allies and partners for significant contribution to international missions and operations.
“Evaluated as ‘Combat Ready’, you are the first unit that, after North Macedonia’s membership in the Alliance, successfully completed the combat readiness assessment process and met the strict criteria provided by NATO capability objectives. You are an example of honesty and integrity and you work flawlessly in unconventional and dynamic environments with your colleagues, members of other units of the Macedonian Army in and outside our territory. You also work with colleagues from the Alliance with whom you form an indomitable force that guarantees the collective safety and security of each one of us,” said the minister.
Petrovska emphasized that she is proud of the demonstrated professionalism and said that she will continue to advocate for the improvement of the working conditions and living standards of all members of the Army of North Macedonia.
Congratulating the Day of the Unit, General Gjurchinovski emphasized that March 1, 1994 was the harbinger of the formation of a modern, efficient, mobile and interoperable Army according to the most modern NATO standards, an Army of which we are proud. At the same time, he pointed out that the goals and expectations from the formation until today have been fully realized, which he is particularly proud of as one of the members of this unit from its beginning.
“The Special Forces Battalion, with its invaluable contribution to building a modern training system and constantly improving its capabilities to combat modern security challenges, is one of the primary reasons why the Army is recognized as professional, trained, and committed to building a rating among NATO allies. Your achievements and work are not always visible to the general public, but be convinced that they will always remain highly valued in the defense system, which will continue to invest in you,” said General Gjurchinovski. At the end of the address, he told the members of the battalion to be proud of what they have achieved and to continue walking with success and faith.
In his address, the first Commander of this unit and former Chief of the General Staff, retired General Miroslav Stojanovski, referred to its beginnings, when the concept of professionalization, although accompanied by difficulties, started functioning successfully for the first time in our Army with the formation of this detachment. In front of the current and former members of this unit, he said that every previous generation, including the members who lost their lives during the service, have their own merits for laying the foundations for the development of this unit and what has been achieved so far. “Keep and nurture the army values, loyalty, respect, honor, integrity and personal courage, because these are the values of all previous generations of this unit,” Stojanovski pointed out.
The commander of the Special Forces Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Stefan Ivanovski emphasized in his address that the motto of the unit “Always and everywhere first” implies not only being the best in the military profession, but also an example of courage, loyalty, honesty and integrity. “The unit, which has so far been proven many times in peacekeeping missions, operations and exercises, has always been and will be ready when it is needed, and it can always be relied upon not only by the citizens and the state, but also by NATO allies,” said Lt. Col. Ivanovski.
On the occasion of the Unit’s Day, incentive measures were awarded to the Battalion members who achieved special results in the work in the past period and for the overall development of the unit, while the Chief of the General Staff, General Gjurchinovski, presented the first commander of the unit, Miroslav Stojanovski, with an Army Plaque.
Today’s ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Defense Tiron Jajaga, the Army generals, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense Vladimir Anchev, unit commanders and representatives from the Ministry of Interior.
The Special Forces Battalion in its 30-year existence so far has confirmed itself as the most elite army composition, which leads in training and capability, reflecting the readiness of the Army.
On this day, 30 years ago, for the first time in the Army, a unit for Special Operations under the name “Wolves” was established. It operated as a Special Forces Command until December 2003, when the unit was restructured into a Special Operations Detachment, and from November 2006, the unit was restructured into a Special Operations Regiment. With the latest structural changes of the Army, the unit operates as a Special Forces Battalion.
