Wikipedia

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.

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.

NATO code OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1
  Norwegian Army[1]
                    
General Generalløytnant Generalmajor Brigader Oberst Oberstløytnant Major Kaptein/
Rittmester 		Løytnant Fenrik
NATO code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1
  Norwegian Army[1]
                      
Sersjantmajor Kommandérsersjant Stabssersjant Oversersjant Sersjant 1. klasse Sersjant Korporal Visekorporal 1. klasse Visekorporal Ledende menig Menig

Organization

 
A Norwegian Army soldier, with MP-5 and gear

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

Garrisons

Hand Weapons

Crew Weapons

Combat Vehicles

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 of buying 47 additional vehicles.
  1. ^ a b "Militære grader" [Military ranks]. forsvaret.no (in Norwegian). Norwegian Armed Forces. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
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