Early history GROM (Polish: , lit. "thunderbolt") is a special operations unit of the
Polish Armed Forces within the
Polish Special Forces. The unit was officially formed on 13 July 1990. By decision of the Minister of National Defence dated 4 August 1995 (Decision No. 119/MON), the unit assumed the heritage and continues the traditions of the World War II
Silent Unseen paratroopers of the
Home Army, adopting the corresponding honorific. In the late 1980s, following security incidents affecting Polish diplomatic missions, a concept for a dedicated special-operations formation was developed within the Ministry of Interior. On 13 July 1990 the unit was formally established as Military Unit 2305 (JW 2305). Col.
Sławomir Petelicki served as the first commander and oversaw the unit’s initial formation. The early cadre was drawn from professional soldiers with prior special-operations experience. Among these were: •
1 Batalion Szturmowy from
Lubliniec (then known as
1 Pulk Specjalny Komandosów and now known as
JW Komandosów) • 48, 56 and 62 Kompania Specjalna • 6 Brygada Desantowo-Szturmowa •
Polish Navy divers • Anti-terrorist units of the
Policja • Mechanised Warfare Officer School in
Wrocław • Reconnaissance units of PAF The unit has trained and operated alongside allied special-operations forces as part of Poland’s NATO commitments; details of training are not publicly disclosed. During its first years JW 2305 remained non-public. The unit became widely known in 1994 following its participation in
Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. Initially subordinated to the
Ministry of Interior, on 1 October 1999 the unit was transferred to the
Ministry of National Defence and incorporated into the Polish Armed Forces. Today JW GROM forms part of the
Polish Special Forces.
Balkans (1996–2001) In the late 1990s and early 2000s, elements of JW GROM deployed to the
Balkans as part of multinational efforts to detain indicted war crimes suspects and support stabilisation missions. On 27 June 1997, during Operation "Little Flower", a mixed team operating under the authority of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia apprehended
Slavko Dokmanović, the former mayor of
Vukovar, who was under sealed indictment; he was subsequently transferred to The Hague.
War on terror Afghanistan (2002–2004) + Persian Gulf (2002–2003) Following the
9/11 attacks, a GROM detachment deployed to Afghanistan; the unit’s official record lists operations across the country during 2002–2004 and again in 2007–2013, including the release of more than twenty hostages, force-protection in Bagram and VIP security tasks. In parallel, from 2002 to 2003 GROM teams took part in maritime interdiction operations in the Persian Gulf, boarding vessels as part of enforcement of the UN oil embargo on Iraq.
Iraq 2003: offshore oil terminals (KAAOT/ABOT) For the
2003 invasion of Iraq, GROM formed part of the Naval Special Operations Task Group alongside
U.S. Navy SEALs and
SWCC. On 20 March 2003, SEAL and Polish special-forces platoons conducted simultaneous takedowns of the Khor al-Amaya (KAAOT) and Al Basrah (ABOT/MABOT) oil terminals, capturing more than 30 prisoners and securing critical infrastructure without firing a shot.
Iraq 2003: Mukarayin (Mukaysin) hydroelectric dam In early April 2003, a mixed team of GROM operators and U.S. Navy SEALs secured the Mukarayin (Mukaysin) hydroelectric power plant and dam northeast of
Baghdad to prevent its sabotage and flooding of key routes.
Iraq 2003–2004: post-invasion direct action After the initial invasion phase, GROM remained in Iraq conducting special operations in Baghdad and central/northern Iraq, including raids to capture Saddam Hussein’s associates and members of
al-Qaeda wanted by coalition partners.
Afghanistan (2007–2013): TF-49 GROM returned to Afghanistan in 2007 as Task Force 49 under ISAF Special Operations Command, conducting direct-action missions and mentoring Afghan units. Operations included hostage-rescue missions (e.g., the 2013 release of MP Fariba Kakar), while the unit also sustained casualties in combat that year.
2021 Kabul airlift During the 2021 Kabul airlift, Polish special forces including GROM supported the evacuation via 44 flights; according to official government figures, more than 1,100 people were evacuated (including 937 Afghan partners), while international tallies put the figure at around 900 evacuees. Those airlifts also included staff of international organisations and allied governments. ==Training==