Structure of the Norwegian Army

The Structure of the Norwegian Army has seen considerable change over the years. In 2009 the Army introduced the new command and control lines. The General Inspector now commands three subordinate major commands and 5 smaller support units:[1][2]

The Brigade Nord commands all the operational units of the Army, with the exception of His Majesty the Kings Guard and the border patrol unit stationed in Sør-Varanger. As the army has no air defence capabilities anymore it relies on the NASAMS missile units of the Royal Norwegian Air Force for air defence. The Army Special Forces Command (Norwegian: Forsvarets Spesialkommando/Hærens Jegerkommando, abbreviated to FSK/HJK) is the armed forces' ranger-/parachute and special forces unit. The FSK/HJK has the ability to execute operations in the North Sea to defend Norway's oil installations. Internationally, the FSK/HJK has undertaken in recent years out-of-area missions, most recently two missions in Afghanistan.[3]

The standing army is primarily formed around four main combat units. One of these, Hans Majestet Kongens Garde, which is also the foot guards unit of the Norwegian Army, is a light role infantry battalion dedicated to the urban warfare role. The remaining three are all classed as mechanised infantry units, but are in reality fully formed all arms battlegroups, with integrated armour and artillery units alongside the mechanised infantry. Of these, Telemarkbataljon is made up entirely of professional soldiers, while Panserbataljonen and Bataljon 2 are formed with a mixture of professional soldiers and conscripts.

Contents

Military units

Brigade Nord

Name Headquarters Type
Panserbataljonen Setermoen Armored Battalion
Telemark Bataljon Rena Combined Arms Battalion
2. Bataljon Skjold Mechanized Infantry Battalion
Artilleribataljonen Setermoen Self-propelled Artillery Battalion
Ingeniørbataljonen Skjold Combat Engineer Battalion
Etterretningsbataljonen Setermoen Military Intelligence & Electronic Warfare Battalion
Sambandsbataljonen Bardufoss Signal Battalion
Sanitetsbataljonen Setermoen Medical Battalion
CSS-bataljonen Bardufoss Combat Service Support Battalion
Jegerkompaniet Lakselv Rangers / Long Range Surveillance Company
MP-kompaniet Bardufoss Military Police Company

Special Forces

Name Headquarters Type
Special Command Rena Special forces
Army Ranger Command Rena Special forces

Other Units

Name Headquarters Type
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde Huseby Leir Royal Guard
Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger Høybuktmoen Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol / Border Guard

References

  1. ^ http://www.mil.no/multimedia/archive/00136/0560_H_rbrosjyren_N_136081a.pdf
  2. ^ http://www.mil.no/haren/start/org/start/;jsessionid=XSEGJKECM4GQ1QFIZYGSFEQ?_requestid=27674
  3. ^ "Hærens jegerkommando/Forsvarets spesialkommando" (in Norwegian). Forsvaret. http://www.mil.no/haren/start/org/avdelinger/#3. Retrieved 15 February 2009.