At the Special Weapons and Tactics Units competition (UAE SWAT Challenge 2026), held from 7 to 11 February in Dubai, our teams placed 30th, 32nd and 46th out of a total of 109 competing teams.
Three special units took part: the Gendarmerie, the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit and the Cobras.
Of these three units, the Cobras achieved the worst result, finishing in 46th place, even though, unlike the Gendarmerie and the SAJ, they are a military special unit that was once regarded as the most elite in our country. Our interlocutors agree that the authorities are responsible for such a poor result, as they misuse the unit in such a way that a large number of its members, instead of training and drills, provide security for politicians and their families.
Another reason cited is poor selection in the recruitment process for this unit.
Antić: If I were Vučić, I would be seriously worried
Novica Antić, former president of the Military Trade Union of Serbia and a former member of the military police, to which the Cobras belong, told Danas that the competition team’s result is in fact the outcome of the current regime’s governance, management of the defence system and command of the armed forces.
“Once one of the most elite special units, ranked among the very best in the world, it is now at the bottom. This is the clearest picture and proof of the devastation of the army by this government, and a concrete result of their primarily nepotistic and loyalty-based personnel selection, which in recent years has taken precedence over the once top-tier psychophysical abilities that candidates for admission to the ‘Cobras’ had to meet impeccably and without compromise. After this result, if I were Vučić, I would be seriously concerned for my own safety,” says Antić.
Radić: They would have done better competing in another discipline
Aleksandar Radić, a military analyst, told Danas that members of the Cobras would have achieved a better ranking had they competed in their real line of work – as enforcers – because instead of serving the state, they serve the ruling party.
“The Cobras have received exceptionally high salaries, a new fancy building and training grounds, all kinds of equipment and even armoured combat vehicles. In return, they serve the party. Their task is to escort party officials, their friends and their children around Belgrade and Novi Sad from restaurants to late-night parties, rather than to practise their military profession.”
Bošković: The unit’s reputation has fallen so low that even students mock them
Petar Bošković, a member of the SRCE party and a former military officer, believes that President Aleksandar Vučić is one of those most responsible for the unit’s poor result.
“When it comes to the Cobras and their shameful last place, I think they should invite Vučić to join their ranks so that they might at least finish second from last, because thanks to him they have reached the status they now hold. Quite simply – not only because of selection, but because of their misuse,” Bošković told Danas.
He emphasises that it must not be forgotten that they are part of the General Staff and a segment of the armed forces that ought to be in constant training.
“These people simply have no time because of the absurdities devised for them by Vučić and the team around him. Instead of being in continuous training and drills, they are babysitting SNS politicians around Belgrade and Novi Sad. Therefore, I regret that such an elite unit, once the pride of the army, has come to the point where even students make fun of them,” Bošković states.
(Danas, 12.02.2026)
https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/kobre-takmicenje-specijalne-jedinice/