Structure of the Norwegian Army

Structure of the Norwegian Army 2010 (click to enlarge).

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]

• Brigade Nord
• Army Special Forces Command (FSK/HJK)
• Army Weapons School
• HM the Kings Guard
• Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger
• Military Academy
• Logistics and Operational Support
• Operation Support Detachment

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.

The Telemark Company, a battalion of the Norwegian Army assigned to the Stabilization Force (SFOR)

2nd battalion in an training mission

A Norwegian soldier stands guard at a vehicle roadblock on Route 17 as part of training during exercise Battle Griffin 2005. Battle Griffin is an invitational exercise that tests the interoperability of multinational forces' tactics and systems

Soldiers from the Norwegian Army Special Command unit unload from a MH-47 Chinook during Operation Anaconda

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. ^{[dead link]}