63rd Parachute Brigade

The 63rd Parachute Brigade is a tactical unit intended to gather intelligence and conduct Special Forces operations in the operational and strategic depths of the enemy, using a vertical maneuver.

It can be engaged in performing special combat activities and operations of special importance (combats with smaller enemy airborne landings in its own background, inserted reconnaissance and diversion, and other groups) when rapid, sudden and effective action is necessary.

The organizational structure of the 63rd Parachute Brigade is adapted to the assigned mission, and it consists of: Command, Command Company, Parachute Telecommunications Company, Parachute Companies, Parachute Training Company, Combat Search and Rescue Paratrooper Company and Logistics Company.

The 63rd Parachute Brigade Commander is Brigadier General Nenad Zonić.

63rd Parachute Brigade Tasks

The 63rd Parachute Brigade performs the following tasks:

Reconnaissance operations in the enemy operational and strategic depth;
Sabotage and counter-sabotage actions;
Combat search and rescue;
Interventions and occupation and destruction of important areas and facilities in the enemy background;
Disorganization of the enemy's command system;
Marking aviation and artillery operations targets in the enemy background;
Support units landing on the endangered part of the front and supplying units from the air.

In addition to the above, the unit is developing capabilities to participate in multinational operations and ensure the availability of forces to support civilian authorities in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

63rd Parachute Brigade Training

The 63rd Parachute Brigade carries out physical, fire and tactical training, special tactical training, topography and training in special conditions, such as wilderness food and survival training, summer and winter alpinism training, ski training, etc.

Special attention is paid to paratrooper training, which is realized through:

Basic paratrooper training, for unit members that perform paratrooper service, through which individuals and units are trained to perform combat tasks using parachute landing, and it consists of ground training and parachute jumps;
Advanced paratrooper training, which is an advanced part of parachute training, and aims to train military parachutists to perform free-fall jumps on small terrains, using special wing-type parachute, with weapons and equipment, and basically it consists of the theoretical part and parachute jumps;
Junior Paratrooper Instructors Course, which is a methodical training of paratroopers with the completed advanced paratrooper training to perform basic paratrooper training and leaders duties during the jumps.
Paratrooper Instructors Course, which aims to train junior paratrooper instructors to perform all types of parachute jumps, using all types of parachutes intended for performing assigned tasks, as well as methodological training to perform advanced forms of paratrooper training.

63rd Parachute Brigade Tradition

The first parachute battalion, whose tradition is cherished by the 63rd Parachute Brigade members, was founded with the help of Allied Forces on October 14, 1944, at a military base near Bari, Italy.

The advantages of parachute units and training they provide were soon demonstrated, especially in the selection of personnel for high-risk jobs. Thus, the 63rd Parachute Brigade was formed in Niš in 1967, which was significantly different from the previous paratrooper units. The unit consisted of parachute companies, and reconnaissance and sabotage training took its precedence.

A new turning point in parachute units’ development was the emergence of wing-type parachutes in the late 1970s and early 1980s. New parachutes enabled special landings of a larger group of paratroopers from great heights to small terrains with obstacles in the vicinity. Thus, the 63rd parachute unit grew from one airborne unit into a Special Parachute Brigade. Thanks to the successful execution of numerous peacetime and wartime tasks and top training, the 63rd Parachute Brigade has taken a prestigious place among the special units of the Serbian Armed Forces.

In 1999, the 63rd Parachute Brigade was awarded the Order of National Hero for its courage and heroic deeds during combat missions.

As part of the organizational changes from 2006, the 63rd Parachute Brigade was reorganized into the 63rd Parachute Battalion as part of the newly formed Special Brigade. The old name and status of the unit were restored by the decision of the President of the Republic of Serbia on December 21, 2019, on the basis of which the 63rd Parachute Brigade was reestablished, as a unit directly subordinated to the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces.

The Day of the 63rd Parachute Brigade and its Patron Saint Day are marked on October 14, on the Day Paratroopers and the Protection of the Holy Mother of God.

In addition to the oath to the fatherland, the 63rd Parachute Brigade members also take an oath to the unit:

"THE 63rd PARACHUTE BRIGADE MEMBERS WORK — FOR THE FATHERLAND, FOR THE COMRADE, FOR THE RIFLE, FOR THE MILITARY AND WARRIOR HONOR!"