HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Kystjegerkommandoen'' (, or ''KJK'') is a unit in the
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...
. KJK is a marine commando unit trained to operate in littoral combat theatres, filling the role of
marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...
and
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...
. The unit consists of coastal rangers and vessel operators. Home base is at
Trondenes Trondenes is a neighborhood and parish in the town of Harstad in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The area is located on the northern end of the town, on a peninsula in the Vågsfjorden. The village is notable for the Trondenes F ...
in
Harstad Municipality Harstad (; ) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, which is the most populous town in Central Håloga ...
in
North Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...
.


Background and history

Beyond the 1990s and up to the turn of the millennium, there was a widespread perception that the Coast Artillery's coastal forts had played their role, as the experiences from the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
in 1990–1991 showed that stationary installations were very vulnerable to precision-guided weapons. The dissolution of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
also reduced the threat of a naval invasion against large parts of the coast, thereby reducing the utility of large stationary coastal forts. At this time, the
Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces () are the armed forces responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Norwegian Coast Guard, Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air ...
moved away from territorial defense to more focus on international missions, and it was considered to create a marine infantry unit modeled after the
Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishme ...
and
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
. But it was seen as more relevant for Norwegian conditions to look at the Swedish coastal ranger companies.


Afghanistan (2005–2012)

In 2005, KJK sent its first independent contributions to
ISAF The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined t ...
as the Military Observer Team (MOT) to the Provincial Reconstruction Team Meymaneh. They also carried out several operations together with
Marinejegerkommandoen ''Marinejegerkommandoen'' (MJK) () is the maritime/naval special warfare unit of the Norwegian Armed Forces and was established in 1953. The MJK is under the command of the Norwegian Special Operations Command (NORSOCOM) together with the '' ...
(MJK) (Norwegian special operations unit). During this time, KJK established its position as a professional department, gaining a high reputation among allied departments and the Norwegian command in
Mazar-e Sharif Mazar-i-Sharīf ( ; Dari and ), also known as Mazar-e Sharīf or simply Mazar, is the List of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with the estimates varying from 500,000-680,000. It is the capital of Balkh prov ...
.


Risk of disbandment (2013–2021)

From December 2013 to July 2014, KJK participated with a significant contribution to the operation to remove chemical weapons from
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
( RECSYR). In the autumn of 2014, then
Chief of Defense A chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national ...
Haakon Bruun-Hanssen presented his professional military advice to the
Norwegian government The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power ...
where it was recommended that the unit be moved to Haakonsvern Naval Base in
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
. There, the unit would continue in a boarding and force protection capacity in support of surface vessels, unless the
Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces () are the armed forces responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Norwegian Coast Guard, Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air ...
were awarded an increased financial framework. In the government's subsequent proposal for a long-term plan, it was stated that they would proceed with this recommendation. Several interest organisations, together with union representatives from KJK and MJK, then started lobbying to try to get the departments merged in an attempt to keep KJK's capacities in Northern Norway. The opposition in the
Norwegian parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
disagreed with the closure, which led to a defense settlement in November 2016 where it was decided that the unit would continue in its current form. In 2018, the government considered a proposal to incorporate KJK into the Norwegian Special Operations Command, but this was not taken forward as the Norwegian navy's boarding capacity would disappear. However, cooperation between the units, and KJK's support for the special forces, was to continue as before.


Introduction of new capacities and training of Ukrainians (2022-)

In the context of the fact that
Naval Strike Missile The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). The original Norwegian name was ''Nytt sjømålsmissil'' (literally "New sea target missile", indic ...
had been developed to gain land targeting capacity, it was decided that KJK should gain the capacity to acquire target data outside the frigates' and corvettes' own sensor range using drones (UAV). The unit set itself the goal in 2022 of becoming a leader in maritime drone operations. In September 2023, it became known that the unit has trained Ukrainian marines to be able to operate covertly in coastal areas, including tactical movement and infiltration, covert surveillance, reconnaissance and offensive operations. This is part of a coordinated project with the British
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
and the
Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishme ...
.


Role

KJK operatives are trained to be highly mobile in the littoral environment, using the
Combat Boat 90 Stridsbåt 90 H(alv) (Strb 90 H; CB90) is a class of fast military assault craft used by several countries after being originally developed for the Swedish Navy by Dockstavarvet. Its name means Combat Boat 90 Half; the ''90'' refers to the year ...
, RHIBs and occasionally helicopters. The CB90 is capable of landing troops directly on the shore. Their main weapon against enemy vessels is the
AGM-114 Hellfire The AGM-114 Hellfire is an American missile developed for anti-armor use, later developed for precision drone strikes against other target types, especially high-value targets. It was originally developed under the name " Heliborne laser, fi ...
missile, using a blast-fragmentation warhead. This will be carried in the CB90, and launched from ashore, taking advantage of Norway's numerous islands and rugged coast. KJK's main task is thus to carry out
intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...
gathering in various contexts and situations. KJK's operational portfolio is largely similar to the
Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...
's Intelligence Battalion and artillery rangers, and after long experience from
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, they have valuable weight in other spectrums of the warfare domain other than the coastal zone. The units must be able to document and analyze the information obtained. Furthermore, the units must be able to direct fire from various platforms ( JTAC), i.e. contribute to combating high-value targets. Coastal rangers operates in small groups and is equipped and trained to operate alone over time in areas controlled by an enemy. The soldiers are professionals and, based on their competence, they can be used for other tasks that are not necessarily covered within the maritime ISTAR concept. This is reflected i.a. through the unit's contribution in Afghanistan.


Allied training

KJK train regularly with allied partners like
USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
,
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
and
Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishme ...
.


Honors and losses

In November 2007, a KJK unit assisted a force of Afghan soldiers and their 14 American mentors as they came under a Taliban ambush in
Badghis Bādghīs () is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northwest of the country, on the border with Turkmenistan. It is considered to be one of the country's most underdeveloped provinces, with the highest poverty rate. T ...
province in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. When the Afghan soldiers and their American mentors were headed into an area to apprehend Taliban soldiers and leaders, they were unaware that they were headed into an ambush. The Norwegian soldiers observed this and were able to get through to their American allies on radio and warn them about the danger ahead, guiding them so they could fight themselves out of the situation. The Norwegian soldiers involved received the
Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...
for their efforts. In November 2007, KJK took part in Operation Front Straightening to push
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
out of the
Faryab Faryab (Dari,Pashto : فاریاب) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, which is located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. It has a population of about 1,109,223, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a ...
province. The unit lost 3 men on June 27, 2010 when a roadside bomb ( IED) exploded under their vehicle on a mission in the Almar District, Afghanistan.


Selection and training

KJK has an annual selection, and anyone who meets the requirements can apply for admission. The basic education is based on volunteering and extends over one year. The education consists of an initial selection, a selection period over five weeks and a ten-month specialist training.


Initial selection

Prior to the coastal ranger training, an initial selection is carried out by the Norwegian Armed Forces' common recruitment and selection (Forsvarets opptak og seleksjon). Applicants who satisfy the criteria are invited to an initial selection at
Trondenes Fort Trondenes Fort is a fort situated on the Trondenes peninsula in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located about north of the town of Harstad. The fort has been the main base for the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Command since 2002. ...
in Harstad. During the initial selection, tests are carried out and the applicant's medical and physical fitness is assessed. In addition, there is a field period where the applicant's physical and mental performance is tested.


Selection period

The five weeks ensure that the aspirants have the personal qualities that the education requires. The period is characterized by high activity and demanding military training in a coastal environment. The selection is mainly carried out under field conditions, in the coastal zone and at sea, and ends with a milestone exercise.


Specialization

Professional training as a coastal ranger starts with a maritime part, with basic training in the use of RHIBs, deployment with combat boat 90, surface swimming and survival in a coastal environment. A maritime patrol course is then carried out with field disciplines, combat techniques,
marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized telescopic sight, scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle (or a sniper ri ...
ship training, combat casualty care,
signals A signal is both the process and the result of Signal transmission, transmission of data over some transmission media, media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processin ...
and a number of field exercises in a coastal environment to ensure the quality of the education level on an ongoing basis. The last part of the professional training is a course in maritime ranger operations which ends with an exercise that checks that the level of education is satisfactory. The coastal ranger aspirants are then transferred to an operational squad in the Coastal Ranger Command.


See also

*
Marinejegerkommandoen ''Marinejegerkommandoen'' (MJK) () is the maritime/naval special warfare unit of the Norwegian Armed Forces and was established in 1953. The MJK is under the command of the Norwegian Special Operations Command (NORSOCOM) together with the '' ...
- Naval Special Operations Command * Minedykkerkommandoen - Naval EOD Command


References


External links

* {{Royal Norwegian Navy Royal Norwegian Navy
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
Military units and formations established in 2001