HISTORY
The first mention of marines appears in the years 1886-1888, who were part of the crew of the Riverine Cruiser "ELISABETA".
On 24 January 1917, the Landing Battalion was established from the Navy's land forces, with the mission of defending the region of CHILIA. In the ORBAT of the Romanian Navy of January 1917, a new organization - the Romanian Corps of Navy Infantrymen - appeared later, whose geographical AOR was the DANUBE Delta and the Black Sea coast, with the Landing Battalion and the Group of Marching Companies.
After the formation of the Romanian National Union State on 1 December 1918, the transformations produced in the economic, military and political life were also reflected in the military plan. Given the importance and complexity of defending the coastline and river banks, the first organizational measures were taken as early as 1920 to set up units and sub-units for this purpose. Thus, on 11 March 1920, the Maritime Fixed Coastal Defense and the Riverine Fixed Defense were established, directly subordinated to the Royal Navy Command. Within these organizations, underwater protection, infantry & surveillance, communications and engineer subunits were organized, deployed in observation (surveillance) posts along the coast and river, reinforced with 101, 120 and 152 mm caliber field artillery.
During the state of crisis at the starting of the Second World War, on 1 April 1940, by Royal High Decree no. 635, the Naval Infantry Battalion – as the first unit of the Romanian Military - was established in order to defend the riverine area and littoral, supporting the Marine Engineer Regiment and the Coastal Artillery Battalion. With a strength of 48 officers, 55 non-commissioned officers and 2,250 marines, it had both surveillance, security and coastal defense missions as well as specific tasks to this type of amphibious/riverine assaults or port defense, through Landing Companies.
On 1 May 1941, by Royal High Decree no. 1527, the Naval Infantry Battalion was transformed into a Marine Regiment with headquarters in BRAILA; the Naval Infantry Regiment comprised 159 officers, 198 non-commissioned officers and 3653 soldiers.
In the period 1941-1944, the Naval Infantry Regiment underwent several successive transformations, determined by political and military events through the reintegration of BESSARABIA to the motherland and ROMANIA's entry into the war.
Since 1945, the intervention of the Soviet Allied Commission of Military Control in ROMANIA led to the reduction of the naval infantry force to 1000 soldiers.
In 1948 it was transformed into a Naval Infantry Group, and in 1958 it was disbanded at the request of Soviet Defense Advisers near to the Ministry of Armed Forces.
On 29 November 1971, the 307th Naval Infantry Battalion was established, under the Navy Command. The first location of the 307th Naval Infantry Battalion was in 2 MAI, Constanța County. For this reason, the same date also became the Naval Infantry Day in ROMANIA.
As a result of the advantages in terms of deployment, tasks, capabilities and position, offered by the DANUBE Delta and the RAZELM-SINOE Lagoon Area, in 1973, the 307th Naval Infantry Battalion was redeployed to BABADAG, TULCEA County, in an area extremely suitable for specific training, deployment in the area of responsibility and execution of tactical missions assigned.
By Presidential Decree No 176 of 27 May 1996, the 307th Naval Infantry Battalion received the Unit’s War Flag.
Excepting of the period 2004-2015 when it was subordinated to the Naval Forces Command, the 307th Naval Infantry Battalion was a tactical unit, part of the large Riverine Force, regardless of its name. Also, the most of the national exercises in which small units or even the whole battalion were engaged, were conducted within the Riverine Forces, in the DANUBE Delta area or the RAZELM-SINOE lagoon area. Certain geographical, doctrinal and even technological reasons maintained a strong link between the Naval Infantry and the Riverine Forces.
On 1 November 2015, following the transformation of the Riverine Service into the command of the Riverine Flotilla "MIHAIL KOGĂLNICEANU", the Riverine Flotilla was established, representing the new tactical capability of the Romanian Naval Forces, in charge with the mission of security and defence of the whole national riverine area.
In accordance with the National Framework of Military Transformation, issued by Minister of National Defence no. M-0158/05.12.2017, on 01.06.2018, the 307th Naval Infantry Battalion is transformed into the 307th Naval Infantry Regiment, under the command of the Riverine Flotilla. Through this transformation process, the Naval Infantry Unit enlarges and gets the new capabilities, becoming more adapted to the main mission and to the lately operational and security environment.
The doctrine, organization, environment of action and riverine amphibious nature of the mission and tasks of the 307th Naval Regiment give to this unit a unique character, both in the Naval Forces and in the Romanian Military.
MULTINATIONAL / ALLIED EXERCISES
Although established in 1971, the 307th Naval Infantry Regiment has a extensive participation in international environment; since 1995, subunits of Romanian Marines have participated in joint multinational exercises with similar Marine structures from USA, NEDERLAND, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, ITALY, UKRAINE, GREECE, TURKEY both at home and abroad as follows:
- Romanian-Dutch amphibious exercise in BABADAG Polygon;
- NATO exercise "RESCUE EAGLE" in BABADAG Polygon;
- Dutch-Romanian amphibious exercise on Texell Island in HOLLAND;
- NATO Exercise "COOPERATIVE PARTNER " in UKRAINE;
- NATO Exercise 'LINKED SEAS' in PORTUGAL;
- NATO Exercise "RESCUE EAGLE" in BABADAG Range;
- NATO Exercise "COOPERATIVE PARTNER" in BABADAG Range;
- NATO Exercise "STRONG RESOLVE" in POLAND;
- Romanian-USA Exercise "LYMAN TEACHER" in BABADAG Polygon;
- Romanian-American exercise "ROMEX" in BABADAG Polygon;
- Multinational naval exercise "COOPERATIVE MAKO 06" in the Port of CONSTANȚA;
- Romanian-Dutch amphibious exercise "COOPERATIVE LION" Capu MIDIA and RASOVA Riverine area;
- Multinational exercise "BLACK SEA ROTATIONAL FORCE 10", in BABADAG Range;
- Bilateral amphibious exercise, USA-ROMANIA "SUMMER STORM 11", in CAPU MIDIA Range;
- Bilateral US-Romania amphibious exercise "SUMMER STORM", CAPU MIDIA Range;
- Multinational exercise "BLACK SEA ROTATIONAL FORCE 15.1 - 15.2", in C.S.I.L.-F.T. BABADAG (which integrated PLATINUM EAGLE serial exercises in CSIL-FT Babadag / Smârdan and PLATINUM LION in NOVO SELO Training Base, BULGARIA);
- Multinational tactical exercise with combat firing, USA-ROMANIA "PLATINUM LYNX 15", in C.S.I.L.-F.T. BABADAG (which integrated serial exercises type PLATINUM EAGLE within CSIL-FT Babadag / Smârdan and PLATINUM LION within Training Base Novo Selo BULGARIA);
- NATO Allied Exercise (naval and amphibious) "BALTOPS" in the BALTIC SEA;
- Multinational (naval/amphibious) exercise "SEA BREEZE" in Ukraine and the Black Sea;
- Multinational exercise "SILVER ARROW" in, ADAZI Polygon, LATVIA;
- Multinational exercise "SUMMER SHIELD" in, ADAZI Polygon, LATVIA;
- Bilateral amphibious exercise, USA-ROMANIA "SPRING STORM 17", at T.I.P.T.S.A. Capu MIDIA;
- Multinational naval exercise "FALL STORM 19", in C.N.I.Ap.AA, Capu MIDIA, ROMANIA.
PARTICIPATION IN ALLIED/INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS.
1. Participation in deployments in the KOSOVO Theatre of Operations.
From March 2008 to March 2009, the regiment participated successively, with 2 detachments of company level marines (RO FND XVI-XVII), in the mission of the Multinational Peacekeeping Force KFOR in the Theatre of Operations KOSOVO, in the framework of the operation "JOINT ENTERPRISE", operating under Italian command, in the western area of the KOSOVO Province (Multinational Task Force - West, Camp VILLAGGIO, locality PEC).
2. Participation in deployments in the AFGHANISTAN Theatre of Operations.
From February to April 2019, a detachment of 60 Marines from the 307th Marine Regiment "HERACLEEA" participated, in the mission "RESOLUTE SUPPORT MISSION" of the NATO Advisory and Assistance Force in AFGHANISTAN, acting within the 300th Force Protection Battalion of the 282nd Armored Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division "GETICA" of the Ground Forces, for securing the KANDAHAR AIR BASE.