Today (28 February), Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski, together with the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, attended the military ceremony at the “Ilinden” barracks in Skopje, marking the Day of the Special Forces Battalion, a special unit within the Army known as the “Wolves”.
In his address, Minister Misajlovski thanked the unit members for their professionalism, dedication, sacrifice and patriotism, which is an inspiration especially for the young people who want to join the Army.
“With all this, you express your immense love for your homeland, Macedonia… Not only do you radiate professionalism, you radiate preparedness and continuously, through daily training, you are becoming better and more efficient. This also shows your greatness. Work tirelessly on yourselves and your own skills that are in the service of the safety of every citizen,” said Misajlovski and added that the special unit members are the best, most capable, most trained, which is confirmed in every assessment.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Army, General Lafchiski, in his address, publicly recognized all former members for their work and contribution that enabled the building of the unit and emphasized that being and staying at the top is not an easy task.
“You are the first unit to lay the foundations for the implementation of NATO standards, the first unit in the Army to be awarded the Order of Military Merit, the first unit to unreservedly share its knowledge with the rest of the Army and partner countries…. Being first is a prestige, but being first and remaining first is your obligation and your legacy,” emphasized General Lafchiski and urged them to remain faithful to the profession and honest with themselves and the unit.
The Special Forces Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Blagoj Naumov, emphasized that the unit, composed of selected, brave and strong members, is a pillar of freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity and that it has been and will remain a nursery of quality personnel, as evidenced by the fact that many commanders, generals, officials and leaders in management positions have emerged from it.
“We have continued on the path begun by our predecessors, we are building on and improving, and now we can say that we proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with our NATO partners, while preserving true national values,” said Lieutenant Colonel Naumov.
At today’s ceremony, the SFb awarded a plaque for “30 years of cooperation with the US Army” to the US Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC), as well as plaques to the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army. On the occasion of the Unit’s Day, incentive measures were awarded to members of the unit who have distinguished themselves in their work in the past period.
The ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Major General Azim Nuredin, Army Generals, former unit commanders, unit commanders from the Ministry of Interior and other guests.
