Lieutenant Colonel Stefan Ivanovski
Оn 1 March, 1994 the Special Forces Unit (6th Company), named ‘The Wolfs’ was founded for the first time as part of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia. In 1998 the 1st team formation of the unit was established, and it was renamed to Special Forces Unit. In 2001 the unit became part of Counter-Terrorism Unit, and after establishing the Special Units Command it became a part of it as a Company.
Establishing this unit marked the process of becoming a professional Аrmy of the RM. Since the beginning, the candidates have been chosen through special criteria, and they have to be physically and mentally fit, no matter the rank.
In December, 2003, the Special Units Command evolved into a Special Operations Company Command. The Special Operations Company was transformed into a Special Operations Battalion, and a Rangers Battalion was established (from a Reconnaissance Battalion and a Parachute Unit from Petrovec). The Military Police Battalion was separated from the Special Operations Command and the Recce Battalion and has remained an individual unit since then. In November 2006 a Special Operations Regiment was established and it encompassed the Special Operations Battalion and the Rangers Battalion.
In compliance with the 2019 Defense Strategic Review, and the new formation of the Army of the Republic of Nоrth Macedonia, the Special Operations Battalion is part of and under the command of the Operations Command, rather than under a direct command of the General Staff.
In 2022, members of the Special Operations Battalion, with two special operations combat elements, participated in the Special Forces Evaluation (SOFEVAL), conducted in the Hellenic Republic. They were rated “combat ready”, which fulfilled one of the Army’s capability goals, when referring to Special Forces, set following our NATO accession.
Participation in operations abroad:
The Special Operations Battalion participated in several peace operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of the Special Operations Regiment, from June 2003 to June 2008, they took part in 11 contingent rotations in the mission ‘Iraqi Freedom’. From May to December, 2010 they also engaged in the mission ‘ISAF-Phoenix’ in Afghanistan. Individually, members of this unit participated in missions in Bosnia, Lebanon and ‘Resolute Support’ in Afghanistan.
Members of the Special Operations Battalion have received numerous medals for bravery, merit and achievement, commendations and similar awards.
Received medals:
In 2005, for the first time, the President of the Republic of Macedonia awarded the Military Merit Medal to the Special Operations Battalion.
As part of the Special Operations Regiment, the Special Operations Battalion was awarded the ‘Order of Merit’ on 14 August, 2012, by the President of the Republic of Macedonia, on the occasion of marking the 20th Anniversary of the formation of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia.