61st Mountain Troops Brigade General Virgil Badulescu
At the end of January, the scouts from the 61st Mountain Troops Brigade General Virgil Badulescu and the units subordinated conducted the winter mountain training in a district in the area of the Calimani mountains in the Eastern Carpathians.
The camp focused mainly on ski patrol, given that, depending on the type of snow, from one day to the next, one exercise did not look like the other, even if the same route was used. In addition to the main objective of improving the military’s skills on skiing on medium distances of up to 30 km, another objective was to organize, prepare and execute the shootings in specific conditions of the mountainous terrain. It was also aimed at training search and rescue teams in different situations, improving skills in the use of mountaineering materials in winter, in isolation and, last but not least, the organization, arrangement and living in the mountain camp in specific conditions, time and season.
Thus, the soldiers practised moving on skis in mountainous-forested terrain, on routes with medium difficulty, difficult and very difficult, aiming to improve the skills of efficient use of skiing techniques, performing frontal movements on skis, falls and lifting, the correct execution of the ascent and descent procedures, the crossing of unevenness, ruptures and slope connections on skis. Tactical training exercises were carried out in the mountainous terrain. The search and rescue teams were tested in the mountainous terrain and the knowledge of the intervention model and the activities carried out to rescue the injured, the wounded and the military immobilized in the field were verified. Based on a scenario, the teams had to intervene to save some people in the Calimani Mountains at an altitude of 2021 meters. Team members were able to arrive at the scene in a timely manner and provide first aid to the victims of the alleged accident.
The day I arrived at the camp, I attended a series of military training workshops. Thus, at the first workshop, they were training for life in isolation and I could see different types of shelters with improvised means and different types of fires that scouts use. At the second workshop, we saw the search and rescue team providing first aid and transporting an injured person safely to a means of extraction. It consisted in providing first aid to the fighter, his transport by the team on the sleigh, later the transport by specific means of climbing to the ridge then the crossing, on a funicular, to the means of evacuation. At the third workshop I saw a search patrol out of contact with the enemy, moving away. Subsequently, the patrol was attacked, occupied the firing position and responded with fire.
During the camp, the scouts of the 61st Mountain Troops Brigade “General Virgil Bădulescu” collaborated very well, forming a real team based on the cohesion between subunits, thus rising to the requirements of the level of military and specialized training. The novelty was the other units, in addition to the scouts, who integrated very well, learning from each other. Among the traditional scout soldiers of these types of camps, through their subunit commanders, an attempt was made, and a very high percentage was successful, to combine the experience of the elders in this weapon with the other fighters who are at the first activities of this kind.
Brigadier General Marius Giurca, commander of the 61st Mountain Troops Brigade “General Virgil Badulescu”
What did advancing to the rank of general mean to you?
Promotion to the rank of general was a great joy for me personally. But not only for me, but I am also convinced for my subordinates, all the comrades and mountain troops from Harghita, and maybe even the 4th Infantry Division “Gemina”. It is the realization of a dream that takes us steps, as you know, since military high school. When every soldier walks through the gate of the military high school for the first time and wears the uniform with the red lamp, he wonders if he will ever have the opportunity to turn that red lamp into the whip of the general. And of course, like any soldier carrying a general’s staff in his backpack, this dream has come true. I have the impression, and I am convinced that it is, that it is a culmination of the efforts, sacrifices and all the work done during my career. It is, first of all, a recognition by my hierarchical commanders, by the higher echelons, of the merits and sacrifices and of the activity carried out at the command of the structures during the career evolution. This rank came at the age of full professional maturity, after I went through all the command ranks in the military hierarchy, from platoon commander, company commander, battalion and mountain troop brigade. I consider that this evolution at all stages of my military career is one of the indispensable conditions, obligatory for access to this high rank of general.
What does it mean to run a mountain troop unit? What are the biggest challenges and what are the satisfactions?
As in any position with such a responsibility, the challenges that arise are unique and major, given that we always relate to the allocated resources, both financial and material, and we must simultaneously manage the most important resource, respectively the human resource. In the second half of 2014, it was possible to fully carry out all the training activities, the planned exercises. It was the first year, after a series of many years, in which the Romanian Army, and as a result, our brigade, received fuel and financial resources, not only to be able to carry out all the planned activities, but also to carry out activities in plus, which aimed at intensifying the instruction, and thus the results were as expected. In the second half of last year, we managed to bring out the fighting technique, fighting machines and all the main categories of weapons, to exercises and various training activities, so that the efficiency of training increased and the results were not long in coming.
It has been a fruitful year in securing those commitment credits that the entire Romanian army has benefited from, and the outlook for 2015 is also auspicious. We started this year in very good condition. This is one of the greatest satisfactions; as long as we have material and financial resources, the satisfaction of both commanders and subordinates increase automatically. If you could see how much joy could be read in the eyes of the driving mechanics, of the subunit commanders when they saw that we had diesel so that we could perform much more exercises than we had planned. And that we can really train in conditions similar to combat and in conditions of travel in the districts where the training takes place, not to simulate the training in the barracks, because we do not have diesel or we do not have other resources. The satisfactions were full from all the staff, and I hope that the resources will bring us the same satisfaction this year. And I had the satisfaction that people were able to do their job properly. I had great satisfaction on the command line and personal, given by the subordinates’ satisfaction.
Last year, I would like to mention that we had a series of joint training exercises with subunits within the United States Marine Corps deployed in Romania. Through these exercises, we responded and still respond to the interest of American partners to train in the mountains. I think we can already speak of a partnership with the US Marines, as these exercises represent a well-deserved opportunity to practice joint operating procedures according to Alliance standards. Also included in these exercises were some sessions of alpine training, horseback riding, harnessed and samarized, specific to Romanian mountain troops, who enjoyed a special interest from the Marines.
What are the plans for 2015?
This year we also plan several joint training exercises with US Marines. These exercises will take place both in the Rotunda polygon and in the alpine training polygons, in the Bicaz Gorges and in the Râșnoavei Gorges, with the subordinate battalions. We will use as usual the horses we have, and which are particularly efficient in the wooded mountainous terrain; we will use the fighting machines of the mountain troops, who, even if they are of considerable age, face the mountainous terrain in very good. As we did last year, the actions will maintain their joint character by using the IAR 330 Puma Socat helicopters as an air support element. In addition, we will diversify the area of cooperation by including CBRN and specific mountain artillery training sessions within BSRF 15. These are the main priority objectives we have during 2015, small events, up to company level, training with Americans, and of course, our command training, troop training, training exercises according to the main activity plan that has been approved.
How did the joint exercises with the American partners influence the training of Romanian mountain troops?
All the joint training activities that took place with the American partner induced a series of lessons learned, which we apply in the training process carried out by the units and large units of Mountain Troops. In the sense that many procedures for carrying out certain standard activities have been revised and updated, considering the need to standardize the instruction in relation to these procedures. We should recognize, and I am convinced that this is the case, that the US Marines have also updated and perfected their specific procedures for carrying out combat operations in the mountain environment by learning and taking over from mountain troops specific procedures, having since they are not specialized for carrying out combat actions in the mountains. We will practice many such procedures in 2015 at BSRF and I told you that we will diversify the area of cooperation in the fields of specific training of artillery, CBRN and other types of weapons, to complete this picture of joint training.
During these exercises, I performed, at first more timidly, later with good results, the transfer of command authority, successively, from American subunit commanders to Romanian commanders and vice versa, in the sense that a company of American Marine Corps took over a platoon of mountain troops and a company of mountain troops took over a platoon of marines, in the executed exercises, even in the LFX type exercises, with combat shootings, which is especially important by the fact that the training in these exercises is performed exactly as in combat conditions. During this transfer of authority, many problems were perfected that required our intervention, considering the differences in the language of transmitting commands to fighters, on hierarchical steps, from company, platoon, group, to fighter, to the piece for execution fire.
Colonel Dr. Ioan Burghelea, Deputy Commander of the 61st Mountain Troops Brigade “General Virgil Badulescu”
I have been working only for mountain troops for almost 15 years, but my professional experience did not start with mountain troops, but much earlier, in 1981. Here are 34 years of activity only in this field. A profession that I embraced from the beginning, since I went to military school, that’s what I wanted to do and that’s what I’ve done so far.
Of course, life made me have joys and sorrows during the period in which I carried out my military activity, joys that I managed to access all hierarchical ranks until today, when I am deputy of the Brigade commander, but in at the same time, sacrifices were imposed, which I, my family, and my children endured. I changed no less than 8 garrisons from the beginning until now. I had to find a job for my wife, a school for my child, take them everywhere after me, and lead a normal life. I was very lucky to have an understanding family; the wife, a teacher, mostly managed to follow me everywhere. Still, there were cases where I went to some garrisons where I actually could not find a job for my wife and I was I had to commute. But the plus is on the side of the military profession, and that makes me feel fulfilled right now, even if I’m about to retire soon.
For me, here in the unit was a new beginning, the mountain troops. I was an infantryman, in fact the infantry is the mother of mountain troops, but I also embraced this weapon with joy, I did my duty since I came to the unit, I adapted to the mountain environment and the team I work in. At the moment, I can say that I have no strangers about mountain troops, I have no strangers about my mountain colleagues. I always liked to promote teamwork, and I worked with them on the assigned position, and I gave credit to everyone to be able to manifest. And the military adapted to my style and what they learned was beneficial for everyone. I let them manifest, let each one present themselves as best they could and, where I considered it necessary, I intervened and supported them in such a way that they also felt fulfilled in what they do.
The highlight of my career as a mountain troop was the mission I completed in Afghanistan for six months. I was the one who set up the position at the Southern Regional Command, respectively liaison officer at the Southern Regional Command, I practically represented the Romanian Army in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan. It was an extraordinary experience for me, both professionally and personally. It was not easy for me, it was difficult without a family, to work in an environment only with foreigners, a hostile environment, because Afghanistan is a hostile field, with many surprises and many events that took place there. For example, 87 missiles exploded at the Kandahar base while I was there. Leaving here, from the tranquillity of the Harghita mountains, in Afghanistan, in the rain of projectiles was a very sudden transition, I managed to adapt and easily get over those moments.
Every weapon has its specifics. I came here from the infantry where I was only in tanks and carriers and I went to the mountain troops where I found besides these horses, dogs, and other occupations of mountain troops. The camps take place in a different way, the cohesion is different for mountain troops, here everything is a team, one man depends on the other, you can’t do climbing if there is no team to support each other. That gave me a gain in what I later became. The camps are like a family, from the one who makes the food to the one who takes care of the instruction; they are very well organized. When I started my career in Miercurea Ciuc, the first meeting with mountain troops, with my future colleagues, was in an application led by the army from Buzău, that’s how it was then, on the mountains’ picks around the city of Miercurea Ciuc. After that, I took full advantage of the process of transforming the military units. I remember the most beautiful jobs I performed, that of platoon commander when I started my military career, that of unit commander at Piatra Neamț when I began to really understand what the command act means. And the one when I started my activity here as chief of staff at our place, at the troops.
I sought to materialize the military experience in something that remains, I finished a doctoral thesis on a current topic and which is much debated internationally, even now very present, about terrorism and the use of armed forces in the fight against terrorism. I managed to do a work that was appreciated. I managed to publish 3 books, “Laptop terrorism”, “War without fronts and without borders”, also related to terrorism, and now, following the experience in Afghanistan, I have a book ready, I’m just going to find the publishing house, “Afghanistan, the land of hope.” I started in this book from the moment I decided to go to the theater of operations in Afghanistan until the moment I got home, in front of the door. I combined my experience with the cultural life of the Afghans, the spiritual life, the family, the feelings, I talked to them, I was among them, and it was easy for me to understand what was going on there in Afghanistan.
