Seebataillon, the naval infantry force founded in 2014 by the German Navy

Like other coastal countries, Germany has a great tradition of naval infantry, but not as an expeditionary force.

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The first modern infantry force formed in what is now Germany was the Brandenburg Marinier-Corps (Marine Corps), founded on October 1, 1684, primarily dedicated to protection and garrison duties in Emden and Greetsiel. It was disbanded in 1744. The Royal Prussian Navy formed its Marinir-Korps (Marine Corps) in 1850, renamed the Seebataillon (Naval Battalion) in 1852, a small force primarily dedicated to protection duties.

Although it did not place great importance on naval infantry, the German Empire had two battalions of this type, one in Kiel on the Baltic coast and another in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast. A third battalion was formed in Qingdao, China, in 1898 to protect the German naval base there and fought against the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901). During World War I, the Imperial German Navy fielded three naval infantry divisions.

In the Weimar Republic, naval battalions retained their status as a purely protective force. Following Hitler's rise to power, in 1938 a Marinestoßtruppkompanie (MSK, Naval Assault Company) was formed, an expeditionary force of the Kriegsmarine that fought against the Polish garrison at Westerplatte from September 1 to 7, 1939, a battle that marked the beginning of World War II. The MSK was disbanded in 1945, at the end of World War II, as was the Kriegsmarine.

On November 1, 1958, the West German Bundesmarine (Federal Navy) formed the Kommando der Amphibischen Streitkräfte (Amphibious Forces Command), based in Wilhelmshaven. It had landing craft but no troops, being limited to transport and logistical tasks. The idea was to transport Army forces if necessary, within a doctrine that once again did not prioritize a naval infantry conceived as an expeditionary force. On November 30, 1966, the Kommando was renamed Amphibische Gruppe (AmphGrp, Amphibious Group), establishing its base in Emden in 1968. It was disbanded on September 3, 1993.

In 1997, the German Navy formed the Spezialisierten Einsatzkräfte Marine (SEK M, Specialized Naval Forces), an elite unit dedicated to underwater demolition and sea assault. On April 1, 2005, the Marineschutzkräfte (MSK, Naval Protection Forces) were formed, a unit of approximately 500 personnel dedicated to the protection of ships and naval bases, as well as other secondary tasks. On April 1, 2014, the SEK M and MSK were merged into the current Seebataillon (Naval Battalion). The functions of the SEK M were partially assumed by a new special operations unit: the Kommando Spezialkräfte der Marine (KSM, Naval Special Forces Command).

Based in Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, the Seebataillon is a naval infantry force of approximately 1,100 soldiers. It was formed a few weeks after Russia's annexation of Crimea, at a time when NATO was beginning to recognize the risk of Russian expansionism in Europe. The Seebataillon consists of a headquarters, five companies (each specializing in different tasks: coastal defense, mine-clearing diving, boarding, reconnaissance, and support), and a training center.

The Seebataillon is not strictly an expeditionary force and the German Navy has no amphibious assault ships or even landing craft, but German marines can be used as a landing force thanks to a bilateral agreement that was signed two years after its founding.

Since 2016, the Seebataillon has been integrated into the Netherlands Korps Mariniers (Marine Corps), becoming a complementary force: the Dutch marines contribute their landing craft and expeditionary force, while the German marines contribute their specialized units. Here we can see a video published by the Bundeswehr in 2023 showing a joint amphibious exercise between German and Dutch marines:

In addition, the soldiers of the Seebataillon are also trained to deploy in airborne operations, using the Sea Lynx Mk88A and NH90 helicopters of the Marineflieger (German Naval Aviation) and the NH90, CH-53G Sea Stallion and H135 of the Heeresfliegertruppe (Army Aviation Corps), as we can see in this video published a few days ago:

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Main photo: Budeswehr. Soldiers from the Seebataillon descending from a Royal Netherlands Navy landing craft during an exercise.