Telemark Battalion

Telemark Bataljon
Insignia of the Telemark Battalion
Active	1993–2002 2003–
Country	Norway
Branch	Army
Type	Line Infantry
Role	Mechanised Infantry
Size	One battlegroup
Part of	Brigade Nord
Garrison/HQ	Rena
Colors	Emerald green beret
Engagements	Bosnian War Kosovo War Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom ISAF
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant colonel Trond Haande
Commander-in-Chief	HM The King

The Telemark Bataljon (Telemark Battalion, TMBN) is a mechanised infantry unit of the Norwegian Army. It was established in 1993, and is a part of Brigade Nord and stationed at Rena, Hedmark. The battalion consists of five companies/squadrons.

In 1993 it was a motorised infantry unit, tasked as an Immediate Reaction Force with the Norwegian Army, stationed at Heistadmoen in southern Norway, manned mainly by conscripts.

It served in Bosnia, and by 2002, all the enlisted soldiers had two and three-year contracts of enlistment and the unit had no more conscripts.

The battalion was moved to a new camp at Rena and converted to mechanised infantry. Presented with its new colours in 2002, the Telemark Battalion was operational on 1 July 2003.

The unit participated in Operation Karez in Afghanistan, in May 2008.

One soldier died in Afghanistan in 2004, and one died there in 2010.

In addition, the Telemark Battalion frequently trains with the rest of the Norwegian Army High Reaction Force. This is a composite unit made up of the Telemark Battalion, as well as enlisted personnel from support capabilities, ranging from artillery to military police.

The Telemark Battalion was one of the infantry battalions assigned to the NATO Response Force during the NRF-4 rotation from January to July 2005; the others were Regiment Johan Willem Friso and Regiment Van Heutsz of the Dutch Army and Fallschirmjägerbataillon 373 of the German Army.