{"id":64662,"date":"2026-04-24T06:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T04:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=64662"},"modified":"2026-05-01T06:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T04:09:14","slug":"seebataillon-the-naval-infantry-force-founded-in-2014-by-the-german-navy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/04\/24\/seebataillon-the-naval-infantry-force-founded-in-2014-by-the-german-navy\/","title":{"rendered":"Seebataillon, the naval infantry force founded in 2014 by the German Navy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like other coastal countries, Germany has a great tradition of naval infantry, but not as an expeditionary force.<\/p>\n

The marine infantry forces of NATO countries, their age and size<\/a><\/rel>
\nSpanish Marine Infantry: the units that make it up and their material resources<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The first modern infantry force formed in what is now Germany was the Brandenburg Marinier-Corps (Marine Corps)<\/strong>, 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<\/strong>, a small force primarily dedicated to protection duties.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
The emblem of the German Navy's Seebataillon (Image: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Although it did not place great importance on naval infantry, the German Empire had two battalions of this type<\/strong>, 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<\/strong> to protect the German naval base there and fought against the Boxer Rebellion (1899\u20131901). During World War I, the Imperial German Navy fielded three naval infantry divisions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
Soldiers from the Naval Security Company of the Seebataillon during a ship assault exercise (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

In the Weimar Republic, naval battalions retained their status as a purely protective force. Following Hitler's rise to power, in 1938 a Marinesto\u00dftruppkompanie (MSK, Naval Assault Company)<\/strong> 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A diver from the Seebataillon's Mine Demining Diving Company (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

On November 1, 1958, the West German Bundesmarine (Federal Navy) formed the Kommando der Amphibischen Streitkr\u00e4fte<\/strong> (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<\/strong>, 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)<\/strong>, establishing its base in Emden in 1968. It was disbanded on September 3, 1993.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
A specialist from the Seebataillon during a mine disposal exercise (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

In 1997, the German Navy formed the Spezialisierten Einsatzkr\u00e4fte Marine (SEK M, Specialized Naval Forces)<\/strong>, an elite unit dedicated to underwater demolition and sea assault. On April 1, 2005, the Marineschutzkr\u00e4fte (MSK, Naval Protection Forces) were formed<\/strong>, 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).<\/strong> The functions of the SEK M were partially assumed by a new special operations unit: the Kommando Spezialkr\u00e4fte der Marine (KSM, Naval Special Forces Command).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Two sharpshooters from the Seebataillon Reconnaissance Company (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Based in Eckernf\u00f6rde, Schleswig-Holstein, the Seebataillon is a naval infantry force of approximately 1,100 soldiers.<\/strong> 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<\/strong> (each specializing in different tasks: coastal defense, mine-clearing diving, boarding, reconnaissance, and support), and a training center.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Soldiers from the Seebataillon descending the ramp of a Royal Netherlands Navy landing craft during NATO's Cold Response 2022 exercise in Norway (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

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

<\/a><\/div>\n
Soldiers from the Coastal Defense Company and snipers from the Reconnaissance Companies of the Seebataillon on the flight deck of the US Navy amphibious transport ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) during Exercise Northern Coasts 2023, conducted off the coasts of the Baltic states (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

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