Nyland Brigade
The Nyland Brigade is a brigade-level marine-type unit of the Finnish Navy stationed in Dragsvik in Raseborg in the province of Uusimaa. The brigade trains coastal jaegers and other troops for combat in coastal environments. It is the only unit of the Finnish Defence Forces where the instruction language is Swedish, one of the country's national languages alongside Finnish. The command language is, however, Finnish.
The brigade also trains high-readiness coastal jaegers who serve in the brigade’s High Readiness Unit. The unit is trained for demanding military operations along the coast and in the archipelago. The service period in the High Readiness Unit is 347 days, regardless of role, and soldiers are selected for training after basic training based on specific requirements. The unit is assigned to the 1st Coastal Jaeger Company.
Organization
HeadquartersVasa Coastal Jaeger Battalion- *1st Coastal Jaeger Company
- *2nd Coastal Jaeger Company
- *Combat Boat CompanyEkenäs Coastal Battalion
- *Mortar Company
- *Headquarters and Signal Company
- *Combat Engineer CompanyLogistics Center
History
[Image:Finnish coastal jaegers.jpg|thumb|250px|The Finnish coastal jaegers are trained in Nyland Brigade]The brigade follows the traditions of the Nyland and Tavastehus Cavalry Regiment, which Gustavus Adolphus established in 1626. The regiment distinguished itself in the Battle of Siikajoki during the Finnish War. The brigade also traces back its history to the 3rd Jaeger Regiment during the Finnish Civil War, renamed Uusimaa Regiment during the interwar period. After the Winter War, the Uusimaa Regiment was one of the units forming the new 13th Brigade, which formed the basis of the 13th Infantry Regiment during the Continuation War, later called the 4th Infantry Regiment, which was restructured to form the 4th Brigade and renamed to Nyland Brigade in 1957. The unit became a part of the Finnish Navy in 1998, having been an Army unit until then.
Since 2022, U.S Marines have been training in the garrison of Nylands Brigade, and the military presence in the area has intensified further after the DCA agreement entered into force in 2024.