Naval Protection Force (Germany)

Naval Protection Force (*Marineschutzkräfte*)
Naval Protection Force (Marineschutzkräfte)
Active	1 April 2005 - 31 March 2014
Country	Germany
Branch	German Navy
Type	Marines
Role	Force Protection
Size	496 troops
Garrison/HQ	Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein

The Naval Protection Force (German: Marineschutzkräfte — MSK) was a marine unit of the German Navy. It had the size of a battalion and was part of the 1st Flotilla (Einsatzflottille 1). It was established on April 1, 2005, but traces its roots back to 1958, when the so-called Sea battalion (Seebataillon) was activated. Its headquarters was in Eckernförde on the Baltic Sea. Next to the Naval Special Deployment Force (Spezialisierte Einsatzkräfte Marine, SEKM), the Naval Protection Force were considered to be a marine element within the German Navy.^[1]

The Naval Protection Force battalion was organized into five units: one staff and support company, three naval protection companies and one military intelligence platoon.

On 1 April 2014 the Naval Protection Force became an integral part of the re-formed Seebataillon (Naval Force Protection Battalion).^[2]

Structure

The Naval Protection Force (Marineschutzkräfte) consisted out of around 500 soldiers and structured into a staff company, three combat companies plus a HUMINT platoon. Every company, led by a lieutenant (Kapitänleutnant, OF-2).

Marineschutzkräfte (HQ)^[3]
- Staff and Support Company (S1, S2, S3, S4, S6)
- 1st Company
  - 1st platoon
  - 2nd platoon
  - 3rd platoon
  - 4th platoon
- 2nd Company
  - 1st platoon
  - 2nd platoon
  - 3rd platoon
  - 4th platoon
- 3rd Company
  - 1st platoon
  - 2nd platoon
  - 3rd platoon
  - 4th platoon
- HUMINT platoon

Deployments

Despite their short time of existence (8 years), the German Naval Protection Forces participated in a range of national and international Deployments.

International Deployments

Afghanistan: 8th contingent of ISAF (one Infantry unit)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Deployment within EUFOR
Djibouti: Deployment within Operation Enduring Freedom
Horn of Africa: Deployment within Operation Atalanta
Kosovo: Deployment within KFOR
Lebanon: Mobile Protection Elements (MPE) for the protection of UNIFIL vessels
Cyprus: Harbour Protection Element (HPE) in Limassol to secure the German operated UNIFIL base

National Deployments

Protection of US-American facilities as part of the Host Nation Support in 2003
Protection of US-American ships during the Kiel Week
Protection of the Ammunition Supply Ship Westerwald during the mission- and training passage to South Africa and back