Norwegian Army
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The Norwegian Army (Norwegian: Hæren) is Norway's military land force. It is part of the Norwegian Defence Force along with the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Norwegian Home Guard. Established in 1628, the Army is the largest of Norway's armed services, with a peacetime strength of 7,500, and approximately 9,500 fully mobilized. The Army is mainly located in two areas, mid-Troms and the south-eastern part of the country, with other special units like the King's Guards and the border guards placed elsewhere.
Contents
Pre-WW2 History
The Norwegian Army can trace its roots back to Viking times, when it consisted only of the household forces of local kings and their allies. The army of today was established by the Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV "to defend the kingdom against exterior dangers." This is still the primary mission of the Norwegian Army. The first great victory of the Norwegian Army came in 1808, when the Swedes attempted an invasion from the south, but were forced back by the forces of Prince Kristian August. The officer class was well represented in the Constitution in 1814, which included clauses providing for a Norwegian national army based on compulsory service. The Swedes responded to the Declaration of Independence with another invasion, and this time the Norwegian Army was utterly beaten. The army was kept dormant until 1905, when the Storting voted to separate from Sweden. War seemed inevitable and 22,000 men were mobilized, but Norwegian independence was achieved peacefully. At that time, the Norwegian General Staff realized that the army needed to be reorganized, as the greatest threats were in the east: Russia and Finland. Consequently, the army was re-established in three areas: the most northernly part of Norway, mid-Norway, and the southern lowlands, with the bulk of the force concentrated in the north as, after the split from Sweden, no one could imagine an invasion from the south.Insignia
In the Norwegian Army, only the Sovereign and the Chief of the Defence Staff are full generals.Organization
The Army is organized along three functional lines:
- Commander, Army Forces (HSTY)
- Commander, Army Transformation and Doctrine Command (TRADOK)
- Commander, Army Ranger Command (HJK)
Subordinate commands
- 6th Division
- Army Response Force (FIST–H)
- Army Ranger Command (HJK)
- His Majesty the King's Guard (HMKG)
- Army Garrison Sør-Varanger (GSV)
- Army Garrison Porsanger (GP)
- Norwegian Military Academy (KS)
- Army Combat Arms Centre (KampUKS)
- Army Logistic Centre (LogUKS)
- Army Signal Centre (SBUKS)
- Norwegian Special Command (FSK)
Garrisons
- Heistadmoen - HV-03
- Jørstadmoen - SBUKS
- Huseby leir - HMKG
- Rena leir - KAMPUKS, Telemark Bataljon HMKG and HJK
- Terningmoen - KAMPUKS
- Sessvollmoen - LOGUKS, FMPS, National Support Element and MUKS
- Skjold - Brig. N
- Setermoen - Brig. N
- Bardufoss - Brig. N
- Posangermoen - Garnisonen i Porsanger
- Høybuktmoen - Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger
Hand Weapons
- AG-3 - Norwegian version of the Heckler & Koch G3 Assault Rifle (To be replaced by the G36, C8 or F2000 rifle.)
- Heckler & Koch G36 - Assault Rifle - Only used by Coastal Rangers.
- Diemaco C8 SFW - Assault Rifle - Only used by Special Forces units, and paratroopers.
- P80 - Pistol Norwegian version of GLOCK 17.
- Heckler & Koch USP - Pistol.
- Heckler & Koch MP5 - Submachine gun.
- M72 LAW - Anti-tank rocket grenade.
- Våpensmia NM149 - Sniper Rifle.
- Barrett M82A1 - .50 Cal/12,7 mm Sniper rifle.
- Heckler & Koch MSG-90 - Sniper rifle.
- M249 SAW - Machine gun, only used by Coastal Rangers and Army Ranger Command.
Crew Weapons
- MG3 - machine gun
- Browning M2 - .50 Cal/12,7 mm Heavy machine gun
- Carl Gustav recoilless rifle
- ERYX - Anti-tank missile
- TOW2 - Anti-tank missile
- Javelin anti-tank missile have been ordered
- Bofors RBS 70 - Laser guided Surface-to-air missile
Combat Vehicles
- Leopard 1A5NO Main Battle Tank (Norwegian version of the Leopard 1) (being replaced by the Leopard 2) (In use: 1966-)
- Leopard 2A4NO Main Battle Tank (Norwegian version of Leopard 2) (In use: 2001-)
- CV9030 - Infantry fighting vehicle(In use 1999-)
- Sisu XA-186 Armoured Personnel Carrier(In use: 1983-)
- M270 MLRS Rocket Artillery on tracked and armoured chassis.(Now phased out due to operatinal costs and relevancy in future scenarios)
- M 109 A3GN Self-propelled artillery (Norwegian version of M 109) (In use: 1969-)
- PzH 2000 Self-propelled artillery (Order cancelled due to cost and relevancy in future scenarios)
- M113 Of different types (In use: 1964-)
General-Purpose Vehicles
- Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen: a wide range of models, softskin, hardtop and armoured versions; MB 240 softskin most widely used
- Hägglunds Bv206, an unarmoured tracked vehicle often used for reconnaissance and command-and-control tasks
- Nissan Terrano II
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Land Rover
- Scania P90 and 113 trucks
- Lynx 5900 and 6900 snowmobiles
- Polaris 6WD ATV
- The army has recently bought 25 new Iveco LMV light-armored vehicles for patrol and reconnaissance tasks, and has an option for buying 47 additional vehicles.
External link
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