Country Finland Type Marines | Branch Finnish Navy Part of Finnish Navy | |
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Role Coastal warfare, Amphibious warfare Size Wartime size unknown
Approximately 1,500 soldiers trained each year | ||
The Nyland Brigade, officially Nylands Brigad (NylBr) in Swedish, (Finnish: Uudenmaan Prikaati (UudPr)), is a Brigade-level Marine 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, the country's other official language. The command language is, however, Finnish.
Contents
The brigade also trains personnel for the International ATU unit (Amphibious Task Unit), which is a special crisis management force that can be employed in coastal environments.
Organization
The Vasa Coastal Jaeger Battalion trains Coastal Jaegers, boatsmen, coastal missile troops, reconnaissance troops and ATU platoons. The Ekenäs Coastal Battalion trains mortar and signal troops, military policemen, chauffeurs, supply specialists and combat engineers.
History
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 and the 4th Infantry Regiment (JR4) during World War II. The unit became a part of the Finnish Navy in 1998, having been an Army unit until then.
Equipment
The brigade utilizes XA-185 Pasi APCs and trucks for land transport, and Jehu, Jurmo, Uisko and G class landing craft for amphibious transport. It has also a large number of boats for amphibious transport. The motorized artillery previously used 130 K 54 guns, but now relies on Spike-ER missiles for anti-ship warfare.