#04 Alpiniada The Mountains Troops’ Winter Games Awarding the Battle Flag to BSIJ Manhunt with Joel Lambert EDITORIAL EDITORIAL EDITORIAL Extraordinary people I made the magazine out of passion, as a personal project, a challenge. With each new issue, I discover another reason to continue publishing Tactica Magazine. Making the materials for this issue, I found a new reason and, most likely, an “official” answer that I will give whenever I am asked why I made this magazine: to meet extraordinary people. The first ones I met were the mountain troops who participated in the Alpiniada, and all the soldiers who were involved in its development. The camaraderie, the spirit of dedication and sacrifice for the team’s success, regardless of the final place in the standings, the pride of representing unity, the severity with which they analyzed their evolution and stubbornness to work and perform better in future editions of the competition. One of the people who remained in my mind and who created one of the happiest but emotionally charged moments at the end of the patrol test was the soldier from Vatra Dornei Battalion who was called to participate in the test replacing a sick colleague. Corporal Gavril Moraru, known as a Jack of all trades in the unit and always ready to jump to the aid of his colleagues, after crossing the finish line and spilling his guts on the soldiers much younger because they put him on skis and made him go through the mountains for about 17 km, after not having skiing for two years, he apologized to his teammates for slowing them down. Another soldier, this time from other lands, is the second extraordinary man I had the pleasure and honor to meet by making this magazine issue. Joel Lambert, the host of the latest Discovery Channel show, Manhunt, and a former Navy Seal soldier for ten years, came to Bucharest to participate in a local hunt for the show’s launch event in Romania. Friendly and open, he answered all the journalists’ questions, even the strangest ones, as much as his time and the secret of his former profession allowed. Although a short meeting, it was an impressive one, and for a journalist passionate about “military”, maybe unique. And, as the Romanian boys who followed him through Bucharest said (in a game where they received directions, via the internet from those who saw the entire action from home), we hunted and we didn’t manage to catch a former Navy Seal. A unique opportunity. Like all the people I meet and work with to make each issue of the magazine and make my job much more enjoyable and easier. Marcella Dragan #04 p3 cOnTEnT cOnTEnT cOnTEnT cOnTEnT TAcOcnTITEcnAT m cAOgnATEzInTE TAcOcnTITEcnAT m cAOgnATEzInnTE content PG#06 Special Operations Forces Day PG#20 Awarding the Battle Flag to BSIJ PG#10 Alpiniada, The Mountains Troops’ Winter Games The Gendarmes from Braila helping PG#28 those in need PG#31 Romanian helping Ukrainian citizens PG#22 Manhunt with Joel Lambert The American transit point from MK Black scorpions return in Zabul PG#34 PG#32 province, Afghanistan Air Base is fully operational PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF Tactica Media Marcella Dragan [email protected] UK: +44 750 660 3365 ISSn 2344 – 2581 MARKETING & SUBSCRIPTIONS RO: +40 745 938 006 ISSn–L 2344 – 2581 [email protected] [email protected] Responsibility for texts and images published lies with the authors. Subscribe Reproduction of material from Tactica Magazine without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited. p4 #04 #04 p5 AnIvERSARy AnIvERSARy AnIvERSARy AnIvERSARy AnIvERSARy AnIvERSARy Thus, at this time of the evolution of the military structure, the unit is in an advanced stage Special Operations Forces Day of operationalization and certification. Quality before quantity A man with his own traits is the most important element that the selection process pursues. The principle that permanently underpinned the recruitment process was quality over quantity and the fact that SOF are not a „mass product.” As in all modern armies, access to special forces structures is a major desideratum native and acquired skills, training of the military and for every soldier, reaching a behavioral attributes considered special operations subunits is peak of career development vital for microstructures acting organized in training phases and a competition focused on independently in hostile and focuses on qualification exceeding their own limits. The environments, in situations of and improvement in the psychomoral profile of the Special extreme risk. Statistically, only 8 specialties: parachuting, diving, Operations Forces fighter is that percent of candidates manage to mountaineering, genius (mining- of the „complete military”, who successfully complete the entire demining and destruction), shows courage, intelligence, selection process. military communications, perseverance, tenacity, loyalty military information, operations, Execution of real missions - the Text: Capitan Dorel DANCIU and moral verticality in paramedics and linguistic spectrum of threats to national discreet and timely intervention end point of the preparation Revista Fortelor Terestre defense, an adaptation to the in all situations. This process had environmental conditions that experts. These specialties acquire Photo: Forţele Terestre Romane process current security environment and, several components: the selection require resistance to extreme real action valences only after physical and mental effort and in 1 March marked Special Forces last but not least, the conscious of personnel, the creation of the The component elements of achieving the cohesion of the which the values human beings Day. The choice of this day assumption of duties resulting logistical capacities necessary the Special Operations Forces functional microstructures, the are often the only decision- was not made at random, it is from NATO membership. Started for an optimal operation, the base their power on surprise, final stage of a complex training makers. related to the issuance of the in March 2003, the process of endowment with state-of-the- speed, ingenuity, flexibility, process. mobility, cultural understanding order to establish a unit for setting up the unit took place art equipment and armament, The selection of personnel for The soldiers of the unit fully and language competence, special operations, also known over a longer period of time, as well as the initiation of the inclusion in special operations benefited from the military adapted to the areas of action. as „Eagles” - the basic action with the main objective of training process specific to special structures was based on the experience from similar structures The whole process of training component of the forces that operationalizing small structures operations. All these components completion of the initial selection belonging to other armies with a special forces fighters is focused perform such operations. such as dimensions, compact, have been treated with care, and qualification course, focused tradition in the field, during joint flexible, mobile, capable of rapid, involvement, and professionalism. on identifying and stimulating on these coordinates. The According to the law, the unit training activities, courses abroad, is a military structure specially exercises and applications with trained and equipped for the international participation. All execution of special investigation this was reflected in exemplary missions, counterterrorism conduct during specific missions actions, military assistance in the Afghanistan area of for advising and training operations. other armies, stability actions, The level of training, the specific humanitarian aid and peace way of planning and execution support. of missions by the Special Operations Forces soldiers, recommends this category of Maturity forces as the ideal option for The appearance of the „Eagles” solving borderline situations in the organizational chart of the in a fast, discreet, and low- Romanian Army was an adequate consumption of human and and effective response to the material resources. p6 #04 #04 p7 nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS nEWS Corporal Ionuţ Adrian Vaduva „Hero of the Day” from Afghanistan, „Martisoare” for ladies from the Romanian Police received the Emblem of Honor of the Romanian Army, with war insignia As every year, on 1 March, the Bucharest continuously at us for almost an traffic police, and not only, stop the ladies hour with infantry weapons and in traffic to give them a „martisoar”. grenade launchers. 2 shots by AG-7 And, although it is no longer a novelty, hit directly in one of the guard most drivers conscientiously prepare towers. Neither of the 2 colleagues documents for control. However, the in the tower answered anymore so worry on their faces is quickly changed I didn’t think too much and went with a smile, as soon as the policemen, up to them. One was unconscious very serious, tell them that they stopped and the other seriously injured. The them in order to fine them with a enemy fire had not yet ceased, so I martisor and a flower. gave them first aid on the spot and The action in the Capital was attended continued to fire on the insurgents by police officers from the Institute to repel the attack. We were lucky, for Crime Research and Prevention, everything ended well and the together with those from the Public wounded were evacuated safely. Order Directorate, Road Directorate and I caught him in the morning, right Transport Directorate and representatives after he returned from a night of the „Necuvinte” Association, who mission. He had the time to tell distributed leaflets with information me about delicate moments and on domestic violence prevention, extreme situations from the almost identification potential aggressors, 2 years spent in Afghanistan until calling the emergency number 112 and other useful information. the next patrol. ‚In 2009 I was hired by the research company. Also in the country, police officers from Then the most attacked were the Institute for Crime Research and the bases, but even in patrols, Prevention will carry out public activities, it was not easy.