Med kontinuiteto in diskontinuiteto: vloga 30. razvojne skupine in specialne brigade v obrambi Republike Slovenije 1991

Abstract

BETWEEN CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY: THE ROLE OF THE 30TH DEVELOPMENT GROUP AND SPECIAL BRIGADE IN THE DEFENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA IN 1991

The article focuses on the issue of the establishment of a new military formation - a special brigade, indicating that the military preparations of what was at the time still not an independent and sovereign Republic of Slovenia were in fact underway. The confiscation of Territorial Defence weapons, taking place in May 1990, as well as other activities in the military field implied that an armed conflict was probably imminent. In these circumstances it became clear that it was important to preserve the continuity of the state leadership, which was a precondition for the organisation of the defence efforts of the nation. Hence the requirement and decision to organise special units with special tasks, including the protection of the political leadership. Due to time constraints, a mobilisation of officers, instructors and soldiers themselves for the basic training followed. Before that moment many of these had been members of the Security Brigade. The reason was that this unit was the best in the structure of the Territorial Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, and it had the best weapons at its disposal. In many aspects this very fact facilitated or even enabled the formal establishment of the new military formation - the 30th Development Group, which managed to successfully, effectively and highly professionally carry out all of its special tasks in the time before and during the armed conflicts in the Republic of Slovenia. After the war the unit was transformed and received a more recognisable name: the MORiS Brigade.