Detasamentul de Interventie Rapida
Encyclopedia
Detaşamentul Special de Protecţie şi Intervenţie (Ex. Detaşamentul de Intervenţie Rapidă, DIR) (DSPI, The Special Detachment of Protection and Intervention) of the Romanian Ministry of Defense is an elite special operations
unit of the Romanian military. It should not be confused with the Detaşamentul de Poliţie pentru Intervenţie Rapidă
(DPIR/SPIR/DIR, Police Rapid Intervention Detachment) of the Police
Force. They are different units, with radically different capabilities and reporting structure.
Referred to simply as "the special operations subunit", this small detachment was relatively unknown, even among armed forces personnel. In a few years, the unit was renamed Detaşamentul pentru Protecţia Demnitarilor Militari (DPDM, "Detachment for the Protection of Military Dignitaries"). DPDM continued to be part of the 30th Guard Brigade. In 1998, the same year when the top-secret Grupul Antiterorist
of the Foreign Intelligence Service
(SIE) was born, the DPDM was given its current name, Detaşamentul de Intervenţie Rapidă, and starting with 2009 was renamed into "Detaşamentul Special de Protecţie şi Intervenţie".
In 2000, DSPI was moved again, from the 30th Guard Brigade to the Military Police
. This was followed 5 years later by the reduction of the 30th Guard Brigade and its transformation into a regiment. The number of DSPI operatives continued to grow, and the detachment reached company-size soon (145 members in 2003).
In December 2003, the military, which had kept the detachment secret for six years, unveiled it in a public show on television. DSPI was presented as being a small detachment of carefully selected operatives used mainly to protect military VIPs in Romania, as well as foreign VIPs visiting the country. However, when interviewed by a reporter, a DSPI operative stated that he had participated in several operations abroad, along with similar units from other NATO countries. Captain Arthur Elisei also suggested that DSPI has been partially modeled after the British SAS
; the detachment has also trained with the Israeli Sayeret Mat'kal
and Italy's GIS
(Gruppo di Intervento Speciale).
DSPI is a special unit inside the military, and is formed of highly skilled individuals. A very large percentage of its members are champions in martial arts
, kickboxing
, athletic disciplines and so on. DSPI was, until December 2003, top secret.
DSPI operatives operate both in small 4- or 6-man teams and in larger teams, depending on the task to be performed. Although the detachment
's main missions are VIP protection and anti-terrorist
intervention, the unit is also capable of hostage rescue
, airborne/seaborne assault and DA (Direct Action
), which make it the Romanian equivalent of the British SAS
, US Army's Delta Force
or Israel's Sayeret Mat'kal
unit.
DSPI is one of the three structures composing the Special Operations Command (created in 2005), the others being PSY OPS unit and the Batalionul 1 Operaţii Speciale
(Special Forces Battalion).
rifles when engaged in public events; however they are also equipped with a host of other weapons which are used according to the mission objectives:
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
unit of the Romanian military. It should not be confused with the Detaşamentul de Poliţie pentru Intervenţie Rapidă
Detasamentul de Politie pentru Interventie Rapida
Detaşamentul Poliţiei pentru Intervenţie Rapidă is the common name in Romania for county-level police rapid intervention units....
(DPIR/SPIR/DIR, Police Rapid Intervention Detachment) of the Police
Romanian Police
The Romanian Police is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.-Duties:The Romanian Police are responsible for:...
Force. They are different units, with radically different capabilities and reporting structure.
History
During the early 1990s, a very small special operations (SOF) detachment was born within the Romanian military. It was incorporated in what was at that time the 30th Guard Brigade, or Brigada 30 Gardă "Mihai Viteazul".Referred to simply as "the special operations subunit", this small detachment was relatively unknown, even among armed forces personnel. In a few years, the unit was renamed Detaşamentul pentru Protecţia Demnitarilor Militari (DPDM, "Detachment for the Protection of Military Dignitaries"). DPDM continued to be part of the 30th Guard Brigade. In 1998, the same year when the top-secret Grupul Antiterorist
Grupul Antiterorist
Grupul Antiterorist is an anti-terrorist unit belonging to the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service.Serviciul de Informaţii Externe is responsible for collecting information and carrying out intelligence activities abroad, although it also incorporates a small counter-intelligence unit that is...
of the Foreign Intelligence Service
Serviciul de Informatii Externe
The Foreign Intelligence Service, or Serviciul de Informaţii Externe in Romanian, is, under Law no. 1/1998, "the state body specialized in foreign intelligence concerning the national security and the safeguarding of Romania and its interests"....
(SIE) was born, the DPDM was given its current name, Detaşamentul de Intervenţie Rapidă, and starting with 2009 was renamed into "Detaşamentul Special de Protecţie şi Intervenţie".
In 2000, DSPI was moved again, from the 30th Guard Brigade to the Military Police
Romanian Military Police
The Romanian Military Police is the military police of the Romanian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1990, immediately after the 1989 Romanian Revolution, although the Romanian Gendarmerie performed military police duties between 1850 and 1949.-Mission:The duties of the Military Police are:*...
. This was followed 5 years later by the reduction of the 30th Guard Brigade and its transformation into a regiment. The number of DSPI operatives continued to grow, and the detachment reached company-size soon (145 members in 2003).
In December 2003, the military, which had kept the detachment secret for six years, unveiled it in a public show on television. DSPI was presented as being a small detachment of carefully selected operatives used mainly to protect military VIPs in Romania, as well as foreign VIPs visiting the country. However, when interviewed by a reporter, a DSPI operative stated that he had participated in several operations abroad, along with similar units from other NATO countries. Captain Arthur Elisei also suggested that DSPI has been partially modeled after the British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
; the detachment has also trained with the Israeli Sayeret Mat'kal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
and Italy's GIS
Gruppo di Intervento Speciale
Gruppo di Intervento Speciale is an elite Special Operations counter-terrorism tactical response unit inside the Italian Carabinieri military police, first formed in 1978...
(Gruppo di Intervento Speciale).
Organization
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, athletic disciplines and so on. DSPI was, until December 2003, top secret.
DSPI operatives operate both in small 4- or 6-man teams and in larger teams, depending on the task to be performed. Although the detachment
Detachment
Detachment, also expressed as non-attachment, is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective.-Importance of the term:...
's main missions are VIP protection and anti-terrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
intervention, the unit is also capable of hostage rescue
Hostage crisis
A hostage crisis develops when one or more terrorists or criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the authorities by force, threatening to kill the hostages if provoked or attacked....
, airborne/seaborne assault and DA (Direct Action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
), which make it the Romanian equivalent of the British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, US Army's Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
or Israel's Sayeret Mat'kal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
unit.
DSPI is one of the three structures composing the Special Operations Command (created in 2005), the others being PSY OPS unit and the Batalionul 1 Operaţii Speciale
1st Special Operations Regiment (Romania)
The 1st Special Operations Regiment is a Romanian Land Forces regiment formed on 1 August 2009. It consists of the 1st Special Operations Battalion, the 60th Parachute Battalion, and the 498th Parachute Battalion...
(Special Forces Battalion).
Weapons
Despite Romania being a NATO member, DSPI operatives continue to often sport AK-47AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
rifles when engaged in public events; however they are also equipped with a host of other weapons which are used according to the mission objectives:
- Assault Rifles: M16A2, FNC Short, SG551, H&K 33E, G3Heckler & Koch G3The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
, C7. - Sub-Machine gun: Mini UZI, MP5 - standard for anti-terrorist engagements, FN P90FN P90The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...
. - Support Weapons: Heckler & Koch G3-SG1 and PSG-1, MauserMauserMauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
customized with 86SR and 93 SR, CZ 700 sniper rifle. - Special equipment: Browning MK IIIBrowning Hi-PowerThe Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
pistol, H&K P8 pistolHeckler & Koch USPThe USP is a semi-automatic pistol developed in Germany by Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar as a replacement for the P7 series of handguns.-History:...
, Smart Gun EP1 pistol.