Sea Battalion

The German Navy’s Sea Battalion consists of eight companies. The two Maritime Operations Companies and the Shore Force Protection, Clearance Diver, Reconnaissance and Support Companies together cover a broad spectrum of military capabilities. Two training companies train the recruits for their future tasks. In addition, the battalion headquarters exercises command and control of these companies.

In general, the battalion protects the German Navy’s vessels, bases and shore-based facilities in Germany and abroad, on the high seas and on the shore. The battalion’s other capabilities range from ship examinations, explosive ordnance disposal, evacuation operations and the protection of merchant ships and ports against terrorist threats to multinational amphibious operations.

A Particularly Diverse Spectrum of Tasks

The Sea Battalion’s clearance divers, for example, disarm booby traps as well as sea and land mines. The Shore Force Protection Company secures beaches and ports, engages in house-to-house combat and protects vehicle convoys. The Reconnaissance Company uses unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) to search coastal regions and employs snipers and other personnel to gather comprehensive information. And the boarding teams of the Maritime Operations Companies examine suspicious vessels or protect German Navy vessels against attacks.

The Sea Battalion thus provides the Navy and the Bundeswehr with flexible and effective teams tailored to the specific operational task at hand.

Last but not least, the Sea Battalion cooperates closely with the Dutch naval infantry, the Korps Mariniers, in a binational amphibious group. This allows German naval infantry forces to be deployed all over the world.