The NATO Regional – Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) has reached Full Operational Capability (FOC). Led by Hungary, the R-SOCC is a regional defense cooperation effort between Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, and Slovakia.
The five countries now have a special operations headquarters that is capable of deploying in support of NATO and European-led operations. The beginnings of the R-SOCC came from a Letter of Intent signed by the five participating nations in February 2019. This was followed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by four of the countries in October 2019 and by Austria in December 2020. The MoU set in motion the establishment of the R-SOCC in the early 2019 timeframe.
The R-SOCC reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in May 2021. The R-SOCC nations have been conducting joint exercises that help them share their tactics, techniques, and procedures so that they have improved interoperability. One of these exercises was Black Swan 21 that helped the countries qualify for the initial air, land, maritime operational capabilities required for the Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC).
NATO conducted a recent evaluation of the R-SOCC during recent exercises in the fall of 2025 – called a Special Operations Forces Evaluation (SOFEVAL). This event has the aim of providing the official NATO certification of being “Mission Capable” – with Exercise Black Swan 25 (held in Hungary) as an evaluation mechanism. One of the lessons learned in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict is that stationary commands will not survive very long in a static location – they must be able to move rapidly and often to survive on the modern battlefield.
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Image: A Hungarian Special Operations Forces operator conducts training during an infiltration and exfiltration exercise on the Danube River during Black Swan, May 6, 2021. Black Swan 21 is an annual Hungarian-led multinational special operations forces exercise, demonstrating peer-to-peer deterrence and the resiliency of alliances and partnerships in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Therese Prats)
