Marinejegerkommandoen

Marinejegerkommandoen (MJK)
Active	Frogmen: 1953 - 1968 MJK: 1968- current
Country	Norway
Branch	Royal Norwegian Navy
Type	Naval Special Operation Forces
Role	Special Reconnaissance (SR) Direct Action (DA) Military Assistance (MA) Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR) Collateral Activities (CA)
Size	Classified
Garrison/HQ	Haakonsvern Naval Base and Ramsund Naval Base
Engagements	Kosovo war Task Force K-Bar Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Anaconda Operation Jacana Operation Atalanta Democratic Republic of the Congo[1] Sudan[2]
Decorations	United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation

Marinejegerkommandoen (MJK) is a Norwegian maritime special forces unit. It was formally established in 1951. It is located in Ramsund in the northern part of Norway and at Haakonsvern Naval Base in Bergen. MJK is employed in many kinds of operations, such as unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, recovery or protection of ships and oil installations, various counter-terrorism missions, hostage rescue and direct action (which includes sabotage, raids, kidnapping and specific enemy assassinations).

As is expected from any special forces, the training to become an MJK operative is long and arduous, taking a minimum of two years and then further augmented by courses taken during the following contract period, such as field medical training, sniper training and forward air control (FAC) training. The candidates are put through extremely demanding tests, on one of the field-tests which is known to the public, each of the candidates (which at this point of the selection consists of about 5-8 men) must carry a 60 kg (130 lb) rucksack while being hunted by "enemies" which consists of Home Guard-soldiers, K-9 units and policemen. At some point in the test, the candidates will be caught and sent to 36 hours of rough interrogation (CAC-training).

Marinejegerkommandoen's role in domestic and international security

"Operatives are tasked to accomplish missions where conventional forces are unsuited. MJK operatives are highly mobile, with stamina and forceful firepower in terms of their operative size. MJK operatives are specialists in land and maritime operations. They are trained and equipped to solve missions while under extreme climatic and environmental stress."^[3]

MJK is an integral part of the special operations command mesh that serves to protect Norway’s interests, both domestic and internationally. As this unit is to be used with maximum efficiency internationally, it is modelled after the NATO Special Operation Forces definition.

Domestic security

MJK’s role in a domestic defence situation is multifaceted, augmenting those of the Forsvarets Spesialkommando (FSK), Hærens Jegerkommando (HJK).

International operations

MJK specialises in maritime and coastal operations

Four Marinejegerkommandoen frogmen in the water

MJK has participated in a number of international operations, most notably and most recently twice in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, in 2002, as a part of Task Force K-Bar, and in 2003. MJK’s contribution has largely been kept secret, but from what is available, its missions have included DA (direct action), Forward Air Control (FAC) and SR (Special Surveillance and Reconnaissance), and cooperating with United States special operations forces in the fight against the Taliban.

Their participation in Afghanistan has been rewarded with the Navy Presidential Unit Citation on 8 February 2005 on grounds of their efforts. The Presidential Unit Citation is the highest unit award given by the US and was awarded to all of the units that were members of Task Force K-Bar.

Despite their manning levels, which are small compared to units from the USA, Canada, Australia etc, they can carry out large-scale special operations. MJK has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq; in Iraq they hunted Scud missiles and Iraqi command and control. They have also operated with other SF units along the Iranian border.^[4] Norway has an extensive desert system where MJK train; the temperature can reach up to 55°C and when combined with Norway having many high mountains it is not surprising that MJK have been the only unit among the other Coalition special forces which has not been airlifted out of areas due to dehydration and/or altitude sickness in the extreme conditions in Afghanistan. MJK is also the unit with the highest number of operations among the other special operation forces of the Coalition in the area (2001–2005).^[5] The group has among other things performed missions in the Helmand and Uruzgan provinces of south Afghanistan.^[6]

William H. McRaven, a United States Navy Vice Admiral who serves as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), said in an interview with a Norwegian newspaper in 2007 that he regarded the Special Operations Forces of Norway to be among the top special forces in the world and that one of his favourite operations was the Norwegian heavy water sabotage by the Norwegian resistance forces during World war II.^[7]

Weapons

• Automatgevær 3F2 - Assault rifle^[8]
• Heckler & Koch HK416 - Assault rifle^[9]
• Colt Canada C8 SFW - Assault rifle^[10]
• Heckler & Koch MSG90 - Sniper rifle
• Accuracy International L115A1 - Sniper rifle^[11][12]
• Barrett M82A1 - high-powered heavy Sniper rifle
• Heckler & Koch MP5 - Submachine gun^[13]
• Browning M2 - HMG
• Rheinmetall MG 3 - GPMG
• FN Minimi Para - LMG^[14]
• Heckler & Koch USP - Pistol^[15]
• AG-C - Grenade launcher
• Talley Defense Systems M72 LAW - light anti-armor weapon
• Carl Gustav recoilless rifle

See also

• Minedykkerkommandoen (Norwegian Navy clearance diver EOD force)
• Kystjegerkommandoen (Norwegian Navy Coastal Ranger Command)
• Forsvarets Spesialkommando (FSK) (Norwegian Army Special Forces)
• Special Activities Division (Special force of the United States CIA)
• Special Air Service (British army special force)
• Special Boat Service (British marine special force)
• 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D) "Delta Force" (United States Army)
• United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group "DEVGRU" (United States Navy)
• Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego (GROM) (Special Force of the Polish Land Forces)
• no:Taktisk Båtskvadron (Norwegian Wikipedia)^[16]

References

1. ^ Dagbladet.no
2. ^ Dagbladet.no
3. ^ Marinejeger.no
4. ^ Timesonline.co.uk
5. ^ VG.no
6. ^ VG.no
7. ^ VG.no
8. ^ Mil.no
9. ^ Mil.no
10. ^ Mil.no
11. ^ Mil.no
12. ^ Marinejeger.no
13. ^ Marinejeger.no
14. ^ Marinejeger.no
15. ^ Marinejeger.no
16. ^ Mil.no

External links

• Forsvarsnett: Marinejegerkommandoen The commando's official site (in Norwegian)
• Googlevideo: "Operasjon Sabotasje" 1993 TV2 Docomentary on Marinejegerkommandoen (in Norwegian, 34 min 27 sec)
• Vi Menn video Videos from the annual candidate selection and u-boat and boat training with selected candidates.
• Marinejegerkommandoen gallery Photo's of the Marinejegerkommandoen during exercise Cold Response on www.dutchdefencepress.com