GROM = GROM = From Wikipedia , the free encyclopediaJump to : navigation , search This article is about a special forces unit . For other uses , see Grom ( disambiguation ) . GROM in sea operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom GROM ( In Polish : sometimes translated " Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno - Manewrowego " ( Operational Mobile Reaction Group ) ; the acronym itself means " thunder " ) is one of five special forces units of the Polish Armed Forces . It was officially activated on July 8 , 1990 . It can be and is deployed in a variety of special operations and unconventional warfare roles , including anti - terrorist actions and projection of power behind enemy lines . The unit ' s other name is Jednostka Wojskowa 2305 ( Military Unit 2305 ) . History . Early history . In the 1970s and 1980s , there were several formations of special forces units within Poland , but these were either trained in purely military tasks ( sabotage , disruption of communications and such ) or in purely counter - terrorist roles . After the Polish embassy in Bern was taken over by militants of the Polish Revolutionary Home Army in 1982 , General Edwin Rozłubirski proposed that a clandestine military unit be established to counter the threat from terrorism and other unconventional threats . This proposal , however , was initially rejected by the " Polish People ' s Army " . In 1989 , many Jews were allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel . Poland was one of the handful of countries that provided aid in the form of organization for the operation , later dubbed Operation Bridge ( " Operacja Most " ) . After two Polish diplomats were shot in Beirut , Lt . Col . Sławomir Petelicki was sent to Lebanon to secure the transfer of civilians and the Polish diplomatic outposts . Upon his return to Poland , he presented his plan for the creation of a special military unit to the Ministry of Interior , a force that would be trained in special operations to be deployed in the defense of Polish citizens in situations similar to the one in Lebanon . Petelicki ' s ideas were well - received and on July 8 , 1990 , GROM was formally established as JW 2305 . Organization . Sławomir Petelicki was chosen as the first commander of the newly formed unit . As a Polish intelligence officer from Służba Bezpieczeństwa specializing in reconnaissance , sabotage , and diversion , he seemed perfectly suited to oversee the unit ' s initial formation . He gathered around himself a group of like - minded and professional officers and set about choosing soldiers that would be fit for special operations . Due to the high risks involved in special service , it was decided that all men should be professional soldiers . The first batch of recruits all came from a variety of already - existing special units with the Polish armed forces . Among these were : Out of the possible recruits , only a small group passed the training . Many of these initial instructors were trained by the Special Forces of the United States and the United Kingdom . Currently , GROM is co - operating with similar units of other NATO countries : During its formative first few years , GROM remained completely secret and hidden from the public . It was first reported to the press in 1992 and became known to the public in 1994 , after their first major military operation in Haiti . Before October 1 , 1999 , GROM was subordinate to the Ministry of Interior , after which time command was transferred to the Ministry of National Defence . Training . US Navy SEALs and GROM naval warfare team practising boarding skills near Gdansk , Poland , 2009Candidates applying to serve in GROM have to pass psychological and durability tests , along with the so - called truth test , a physically and psychologically exhausting field test designed to filter out the weaker applicants . GROM soldiers train with the best special forces units in the world . The training of GROM soldiers includes a variety of disciplines . All of them undergo the same specialized training in anti - terrorism and special operations , as well as frogman , sniping , and parachuting . In four - man teams , each soldier must be prepared to assume the respective responsibilities of his colleagues , should it become necessary . GROM receives basic special operations training from the Swedish Navy ' s Special Command for Tactical Operations based in Karlskrona , Sweden ' s primary Naval Base . Approximately 75 % of GROM personnel are trained as medics or paramedics . In addition , each group is supported by several professional physicians . It is also assumed that a lot of GROM operatives are proficient in at least two foreign languages . GROM operatives are trained in the capture or kill methods . Known operations . Members of GROM secure a section of the port of Umm Qasr , Iraq , during Operation Iraqi Freedom , March 2003 . * 1992 - " Antoni Macierewicz briefcases " affair ( Close protection duty during political problems in Poland ) .