Norwegian Home Guard


The Norwegian Home Guard is the rapid mobilization force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main tasks are safeguarding territorial integrity, strengthening military presence, and protecting important infrastructure.
It has land defense units, and has volunteers and conscript personnel with backgrounds from all branches.
Founded 6 December 1946, it is the second youngest branch in the Norwegian armed forces after the Norwegian Cyber Defence Force.

Strength

The Home Guard has 45,000 soldiers all over the country, distributed on eleven regional districts. The Home Guard also has several rapid-reaction intervention forces consisting of 3,000 voluntarily recruited and well-trained soldiers.

Organization

The Home Guard is divided into 12 districts, typically covering one or two counties, which again is divided into smaller units. In a wartime situation Heimevernet will typically be used to protect the local infrastructure and population.
The Home Guard district commanders represent a level of command subordinate to the Joint Operational Headquarters but with territorial responsibility which includes responsibility for operational planning. They also have a responsibility to the Chief of Staff of the Norwegian Home Guard for force production.
The Home Guard maintains contact with the civil community through a civil-military network based on mutual knowledge and trust. The local commanders are responsible for fostering cooperation with the police and the civil sector at local and county levels.
Region 1
  • 25px Oslofjord Heimevernsdistrikt 01 – HV-01 – Rygge. Responsible for territorial defence of Østfold and Vestfold.
  • 25px Oslo og Akershus Heimevernsdistrikt 02 – HV-02 – Lutvann. Responsible for territorial defence of Oslo and Akershus.
  • 25px Telemark og Buskerud Heimevernsdistrikt 03 – HV-03 – Heistadmoen. Responsible for territorial defence of Telemark and Buskerud.
  • 25px Opplandske Heimevernsdistrikt 05 – HV-05 – Terningmoen. Responsible for territorial defence of Innlandet.
Region 2
  • 25px Agder Heimevernsdistrikt 07 – HV-07 – Kjevik. Responsible for territorial defence of Agder.
  • 25px Rogaland Heimevernsdistrikt 08 – HV-08 – Vatneleiren. Responsible for territorial defence of Rogaland.
  • 25px Bergenhus Heimevernsdistrikt 09 – HV-09 – Bergenhus. Responsible for territorial defence of most of Vestland.
Region 3
  • 25px Møre og Romsdal Heimevernsdistrikt 11 – HV-11 – Setnesmoen. Responsible for territorial defence of Møre og Romsdal and northern parts of Vestland.
  • 25px Trøndelag Heimevernsdistrikt 12 – HV-12 – Værnes. Responsible for territorial defence of Trøndelag.
  • 25px Sør-Hålogaland Heimevernsdistrikt 14 – HV-14 – Drevjamoen. Responsible for territorial defence of most of Nordland.
Region 4
  • 25px Nord-Hålogaland Heimevernsdistrikt 16 – HV-16 – Elvegårdsmoen. Responsible for territorial defence of Troms and northern parts of Nordland.
  • 25px Finnmark Heimevernsdistrikt 17 – HV-17 – Porsangermoen. Responsible for territorial defence of Finnmark.

    The Rapid Reaction Forces

From 2005, the Home Guard has recruited for a high readiness force with better trained and equipped personnel. It is called the "Rapid Reaction Force". This is the spearhead of the combat force that consists of specially selected, educated and equipped personnel. The force can be mobilized rapidly and is a national resource. Effort strengths contribute to national security.
Soldiers often come from operational armed forces in the Armed Forces and commit themselves to a minimum of 3 years service each and can be ordered on a sharp mission in Norway. They must update and further develop their military competence continuously. They can attend a number of courses, task force missions and other defense activities.
There is one Rapid Reaction Force per district, in total 3,000 men and women. The Rapid Reaction Force is the speartip of the Norwegian Home Guard, and contains flexible and mobile units. It has top priority when concerning weapons, material and training resources. The force is ready to respond within hours to acts of terrorism, bomb threats, and or other emergencies. In peacetime, the RRFs can support the police and civilian community with a variety of tasks, including providing security for the public and enforcing police regulations.
The RRFs are named after operations executed during WW2 by the Norwegian Independent Company 1 :
  • Oslofjord HV-district 01: RRF Polar Bear VI
  • Oslo and Akershus HV-district 02: RRF Derby
  • Telemark and Buskerud HV-district 03: RRF Gunnerside
  • Opplandske HV-district 05: RRF Grebe
  • Agder and Rogaland HV-district 08: RRF Osprey and Varg
  • Bergenhus HV-district 09: RRF Bjørn West
  • Møre and Fjordane HV-district 11: RRF Archery
  • Trøndelag HV-district 12: RRF Rype
  • Sør-Hålogaland HV-district 14: RRF Heron
  • Nord-Hålogaland HV-district 16: RRF Claymore
  • Finnmark HV-district 17: RRF Ida & Lyra and Delfin
The Naval branch of the Home Guard used to be four RRFs. but the Norwegian government closed the units down in 2017 due to saving costs.
  • South: RRF Bundle
  • West: RRF Salamander
  • North: RRFs Waxwing and Anklet

    Platoons

The Rapid Reaction Forces consists of several different platoons within each district. In this way, each district will be able to respond to any kind of incident that could occur, without having to rely on outside help. Each district will have trained operators in these different types of units:
  • Jegertropp
  • Skarpskyttertropp
  • MP-tjeneste
  • Hundetjenesten
  • Stabstropp
  • Sambandstropp
  • Dykkerlag
  • Sanitetstropp
  • Innsatstropper
A Light Mechanized unit has been established in district's 12, 14 and 16. this one is called Multi-Troppen. These platoons handle the custom made Geländewagen 290 multi III and is the speartip of the RRF's.
In Oslo, one of the Home Guard units is styled as a cavalry squadron, and wears black cavalry berets, because it used to be equipped with M24 Chaffee light tanks and M3 White armored cars, and was manned by former army dragoons. Its main mission was the defense of the former Fornebu airport; this mission was changed to escort duties, and it is now one of the rapid response units in Oslo.

Equipment

Until the end of the 1960s, the Home Guard used second-hand weapons from the Norwegian Army. At the end of the period, the Home Guard was equipped with more modern and heavier weapons.
The Home Guard today uses small arms like the MP-7 submachine guns, HK416 automatic rifles, MG-3 machine gun and FN Minimi light machine guns. Additionally, the Barrett M82 sniper rifle and Glock 17 pistol are used. Additionally, the Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle is used by the rapid reaction forces infantry platoons.
The vehicle fleet consists mainly of Mercedes-Benz G-Class utility vehicles, ambulances, BV 206 and Scania lorries. In November 2020, The Rapid Reaction Forces received 420 new Volkswagen Amarok field wagons, to replace the older MB 240 wagons.

Weapons school

The Home Guards weapon school Heimevernets våpenskole established in 1947 is located at Dombås. The training centre is providing education and courses for Home Guard personnel, but also for the other branches in the armed forces.
HVVS schools 1200 NCOs and officers yearly, and offers 70 different courses of various length.

Traditions

Troop exchange

The Home Guard does a troop exchange with the Minnesota National Guard every year. The exchange grew from Norwegian American soldiers sent to Norway to assist resistance fighters in World War II. As part of the exchange, American Guard members are flown to Værnes Air Station and Norwegians are sent to Camp Ripley. Troops complete each other's training, and tour the area.

Standards

The Home Guard districts received their first standards in 1991. These were solid green with a gold Norwegian lion in the centre and the district's emblem in each corner. This was unlike the standards used by their counterparts in the Army, the Territorial Regiments, which were made up of several different colours and also bore the names of the wars in which the regiments had participated. Following the disbandment of the territorial regiments in 2002, the Home Guard continued their traditions and incorporated many of their personnel. It was therefore only natural that the colours on the territorial regiments' standards were passed on to the Home Guard districts when the current standards were created. These were handed over by King Harald in a 2002 ceremony celebrating the Home Guard's 60th anniversary.