26th Infantry Battalion (Romania)

26th Infantry Battalion "Neagoe Basarab"
26th Infantry Battalion "Neagoe Basarab"
Batalionul 26 Infanterie "Neagoe Basarab"
	Insignia of the 26th Infantry Battalion "Neagoe Basarab"
Active	1 April 1880–September 1994 (as the 26th Regiment); September 1994–present (as the 26th Battalion)
Country	Romania
Branch	Romanian Land Forces
Part of	Multinational Brigade South-East
Garrison/HQ	Craiova
Nickname(s)	Red Scorpions (Scorpionii Roșii)
Motto(s)	SEMPER GLORIOSI
Anniversaries	1 April
Engagements	First World War Romanian campaign; ; Second World War Eastern Front; ; Angola (UNAVEM III); Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR); Kosovo (KFOR); War in Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom; ; Iraq War Operation Ancient Babylon; ;
Commanders
Current; commander	Lieutenant colonel Cosmin Ștefan
Notable; commanders	Lieutenant colonel Nicolae Ciucă

The 26th Infantry Battalion "Neagoe Basarab" (Romanian: Batalionul 26 Infanterie "Neagoe Basarab"), also known as the Red Scorpions (Romanian: Scorpionii Roșii), is an infantry battalion of the Romanian Land Forces based in Craiova. It was established in 1880 as the 26th Dorobanți Regiment, then transformed into the present-day 26th Infantry Battalion in 1994. It is part of Romania's Multinational Brigade South-East. The 26th Infantry Battalion got its nickname, "Red Scorpions", from allied troops of the United States in 1996 during its mission in Angola, as they encountered many scorpions there.

One of its notable commanders was Nicolae Ciucă, who later served as Chief of the Romanian General Staff, Minister of National Defence of Romania, Prime Minister of Romania and president of the National Liberal Party.