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The 323rd Parachute Ranger Squadron ( sv, 323. Fallskärmsjägarskvadron) or ''Fallskärmsjägarna'' (English: "Parachute Rangers" or "Airborne Rangers") is a Swedish military special operations capable airborne ranger unit specialising in long-range reconnaissance. The unit is based at the
Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...
(K 3) in Karlsborg at the
Swedish Parachute Ranger School The Parachute Ranger School ( sv, Fallskärmsjägarskolan, FJS), is the Swedish Army's paratrooper ranger school and the home of ''Fallskärmsjägarna'' (Parachute Rangers) and '' Särskilda operationsgruppen'' (Special Operations Group). The sch ...
(FJS).


History

The Swedish Army Paratroop School was created in 1952 by captain
Nils-Ivar Carlborg Nils Ivar (''Nils-Ivar'') Carlborg (29 March 1913 – 21 September 2005) was a Swedish Army officer. He started the paratrooper training in Sweden and founded the Swedish Army Paratroop School of which he was its first commander (1952–1953). H ...
and modelled after the German and British post–
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
airborne commando forces such as the Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service (SAS), with the objective of creating a highly mobile force which had the flexibility to operate behind enemy lines and carry out long range reconnaissance missions to passively gather military intelligence.


Organization

The Parachute Rangers are organized under the 32nd Intelligence Battalion at the
Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...
(K 3). K 3 is also the home of the 31st Airborne Battalion, an airmobile infantry unit similar to the US 101st Airborne Division and the Swedish Armed Forces' special task group, the ''
Särskilda operationsgruppen ''Särskilda operationsgruppen'' (English: ''Special Operations Task Group'', abbreviated SOG, literal translation: ''Special Operations Group''.) is a special forces unit within the Swedish Armed Forces which has been active since 2011. The uni ...
''. Around 2001, the Swedish Armed Forces organized a new special forces unit, called FJS IK, or ''Fallskärmsjägarnas Insatskompani'' (Parachute Ranger Rapid Reaction company), which consisted of contracted former Parachute Ranger conscripts for international deployment. In 2002, FJS IK were deployed to Afghanistan, and in 2003, FJS IK were deployed alongside '' Särskilda Skyddsgruppen'' (SSG) in Congo during Operation Artemis. In 2006 FJS IK was renamed '' Särskilda Inhämtningsgruppen'' (SIG), which along with SSG made up Sweden's special forces. These two units were later amalgamated into ''Särskilda operationsgruppen'' (SOG) in 2011. In 2006 the conscripted Parachute Ranger squadron was removed from SF command and moved to the 32nd Intelligence battalion in 2008. Since 2010 the unit is entirely composed of full-time personnel rather than conscripts and reservists. The 323. Parachute Ranger Squadron as of 2019 is made up of three platoons: *1x Support platoon, consisting of a staff group, a
signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The '' IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing' ...
& logistics support group, a 3-man
TACP The Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is a small team of military personnel who provide coordination between aircraft and ground forces when providing close air support. Australia Australian TACPs are provided by the RAAF ...
and a sniper section. *2x Ranger platoons, each consisting of three 8-man Ranger patrols.


Selection & training

Today the unit is entirely composed of full-time professional personnel. In the past the unit was made up of both conscripts and commissioned officers but its configuration was changed between 1990–2000. Candidates today are required to have at least 9 months of service in the
Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...
prior to applying to the unit. Either through conscription or active duty service. Selection to the unit is one of the toughest in the Swedish Army, including a three-day pre-selection and three test weeks. If selected the candidate starts the basic Parachute Ranger course which is roughly three months long with an attrition rate at over 50%. The course is considered to be one of the most physically and mentally demanding training programs within the Swedish Armed Forces. A candidate can at any time during the course (and in particular during the test weeks) be separated from the unit and sent home or transferred to other units in case standards are not met. Injuries are common and injured candidates are frequently given the opportunity to come back the following year if desired. Towards the end of the course candidates are put through an 8 day long range reconnaissance test which is pass or fail, it later culminates in the “Eagle March”. The Eagle March is preceded by a number of squad tasks after which the units are deployed via parachute and set out to complete a 60–70 km march with a 30 kg combat pack in rough terrain followed by a 10 km individual navigation test-course carrying combat gear and weapons. The march and navigation test must be completed within 24 hours in order to be badged and be considered for further service with the unit. Note that "The Eagle March" must be successfully completed by all military personnel serving at the company once a year. Successful candidates who complete the march within the prescribed time frame is awarded the "Golden Eagle". Candidates who successfully complete the training program may be considered for further service with the unit. If so, the candidate is put through another six months of training in order to become a fully badged and operational member of the unit.


Operations

The Parachute Rangers operational field of expertise is intelligence gathering deep inside enemy-controlled territory. They have secondary duties in sabotage and tactical diversion. The unit has special training in Arctic warfare and can sustain operations for extended periods (in excess of one month) deep inside enemy territory without resupply or support from other parts of the armed forces. The primary means of infiltration is by parachute, both static line and MFF (HALO/HAHO), but the unit can also be deployed via helicopter or boats. The small and agile 8-man teams operate autonomously. Each patrol consists of: A Team leader, a deputy team leader, a sniper, two demolitions expert/support gunners, a medic and a communications expert. If required for the mission, an interpreter may be assigned to the unit to handle local civilian interaction or interrogations. The unit mainly conducts their operations on foot, but they may use
all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...
s and
snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
s if the missions demands it. All Rangers are trained combat swimmers as well, and can perform water jumps and infiltrate via water.


International involvement

The Parachute Rangers have been involved in low intensity conflicts under UN flag, notably Kosovo and Bosnia, where they served as the intelligence platoon to KFOR, primarily working with human-based intelligence gathering (
HUMINT Human intelligence (abbreviated HUMINT and pronounced as ''hyoo-mint'') is intelligence gathered by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as signals intelligence (SIGINT), imager ...
), in 2003 the units contracted personnel deployed to Congo together with the SSG.Interview with Brig Gen. Berndt Grundevik - Head of
Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...
The unit continuously had personnel deployed in Afghanistan as part of Sweden's contribution to the
International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...
. In 2015 the company formed the
reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
squadron of the first rotation of the Swedish
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing t ...
(ISR) Task Force in
Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
.


Insignia

The unit's insignia (''förbandstecken'') is a parachute circumscribed by laurel leaves. This is worn on a
maroon beret The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" B ...
, which is awarded after the first parachute jump. The maroon beret is a common headwear for parachutists in the western world's armed forces. The individual sign of having passed the unit's training course, which culminates in the Eagle March, is the Golden Eagle in metal which is worn on the left hand breast pocket on the dress uniform or as a patch on the right sleeve of the M/90 field uniform. The eagle is considered the real mark of a Parachute Ranger as it is only given to those who completed the training course, whereas the beret with the insignia is worn after having completed the first parachute jump. The eagle can be worn on uniforms in any unit as it is an award for completed training whereas the insignia shows the affiliation to a particular army unit.


Similar units

* – Pathfinders * –
13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment The 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes ( en, 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment) or 13e RDP is a special reconnaissance regiment of the French Army. It is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, the latter itself being under the Spec ...
* –
Regimental Reconnaissance Company The 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental Reconnaissance Company (formerly known as Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment, or RRD) is an elite special operations force that has been a member of Joint Special Operations Command since 2005. The unit is ...
* – Fallskjermjegertroppen * – Laskuvarjojääkärit


See also

*
Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...
* Special forces * Special Operations Task Group – SOG *
Special Protection Group The Special Protection Group (SPG) is an agency of the Government of India whose sole responsibility is protecting the Prime Minister of India and in some cases, his or her family. It was formed in 1988 by an Act of the Parliament of India. The ...
– SSG * Special Reconnaissance Group – SIG * Swedish Coastal Rangers


References


External links


Swedish Armed Forces description of the unit

Fallskärmjägarna Alumni website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fallskarmsjagarna Special forces of Sweden Airborne units and formations