Pandur: The
13.5-ton Pandur is capable of doing 95 km/h, and is normally
equipped with the 7.62mm MAG GPMG. Others, like this one,
are equipped with a cal .50 (12.7mm) GPMG.
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The 3rd Para-Commando
battalion in Kosovo is a no-nonsense unit, with a long history
of active military-humanitarian operations dating all the way
back to the Korea conflict in the early fifties. All the way up
in the northern part of Kosovo, the 3rd PARA is guarding the boundary
to Serbia in the MNB (N), using armour for the first time in the
unit's history.
MAG GPMG: This soldier displays the 7.62mm MAG General Purpose
Machine Gun (GPMG), produced by Fabrique National (FN), situated
in Belgium. The MAG fires 900 rounds per minute, and weighs
11kg.
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Most of the recent
operations the 3rd Para-Commando battalion has been in Africa
and the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo have been a new experience
to them. Not only are the mountains of Leposavic/Leposaviq is
different from the Belgian plains and the jungle of Congo, but
it is the first time they have made use of an APC in their unit,
the Pandur. This Austrian produced APC is just recently introduced
to the Belgian army, and the experience of them is satisfactory
by the men of the unit.
Normally, they
make use of the 'Iltis' light jeep in their operations, but the
APC is a welcomed experience. "It is only for this mission, and
the Pandur has some advantages head of other APC", says 1st LT
Gysel, "It is newer that the other APC, and has the latest in
technology, apart from a very good mobility. And in addition to
this, it has air condition, which I don't believe many APC have."
But in more than
one way, the 3rd PARA are used to a lot hotter missions. It was
formed in Congo in 1955 on the basis of the Belgian Volunteer
Corps, which fought in Korea. They have since been deployed to
Africa a number of times, in the last decade they have been in
Somalia, Rwanda, and Congo.
All of these
missions have involved high-risk humanitarian actions with extraction
of Belgian civilians caught in troubled lands. The bulk of the
men have experience from these kinds of operations, as the average
age of the men is 33 years.
FNC: The 5.56mm FNC is the standard rifle in the Belgian Army,
shown here with a folding stock for the parachute troops.
It has a 30 round magazine and weighs 3,8 kg. The webbing
worn is from private purchase, like most of the unit, as the
soldiers are allowed to individually fit their gear.
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Of the Belgian
contingent, BELUKOS 5, the 3rd PARA is the mainstay of the contingent.
It has the usual structure of an infantry battalion, with a HQ
coy and three rifle coy. Other special elements are the 16th Medical
Paracommando Coy, the 14th Para-commando Engineer Coy and elements
of the 3rd Lancers-Parachutist Regiment. Apart from the 3rd PARA,
BELUKOS also consists of a company from the 29th Logistic Battalion,
a tank squadron of the 2/4 Lancers, and a contribution from Luxembourg
in the form of a reconnaissance platoon.
For their mission
in Kosovo, they were well prepared. Originally, they were to be
deployed before the elections in October last year. They had then
been training in their home base of Thielen, by the border to
Holland, during the Belgian elections. However, the deployment
was delayed, giving the 3rd PARA additional time to prepare.
Through their
rigorous training, one might not think they needed to prepare.
In order to serve in the Para-Commando brigade, you must submit
to and initial five months of commando training, and one month
of parachute training. Passing this training, you a qualified
para-commando.
Then follows
a three year long unit training, involving parachuting, air assault
landing, air and helicopter transportation, apart from the specialised
training.
In a world of
changing requirements of the military, the 3rd PARA has proved
itself as a flexible and determined unit. Not only have they done
so in Belgium and Africa, but they have also proved themselves
in KFOR by meeting the challenges laid out for them in Kosovo.
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