Garnisonen I Sør-Varanger - The Service at GSV

The Service At GSV

The troops at GSV mainly consists of conscripted soldiers. Most of the soldiers are men, but there is also an increasing amount of women. GSV receives about 400 new conscripts every six months.

The first seven weeks of recruit training, which is standard for all military personnel in Norway. After basic training, some of the soldiers are transferred to the garrison company to work in and around the garrison to support the education of the GRKP/u, the GRKP itself and the mission-solvance of the GSV border company.

The rest of the soldiers stay in the education company to become border guards. After six months, through basic training, advanced training and specialist/designated training, the soldiers are divided up and sent to one of the six border stations.

The border service requires physical and mental stamina, discipline and the ability to think, decide and initiate. The service requires individuals and units to operate independently. The soldiers deployed for border service are basically trained as reconnaissance rangers. Most of the time in the education company consist of field exercise, fire drills and role specialisation.

At the border, the soldiers are divided into four-man patrol teams. A typical patrol team consist of one patrol commander corporal, one communications technician, one medical specialist and one scout. Not assigned, but perfectly available for the teams are canine(K9 approx) corporals, responsible for handling and training the patrol canines, and transportation corporals, responsible for mobility, administrative tasks and maintenance. In addition, a portion of the border guards are assigned with a dual role; reconnassaissance and operations headquarters, they also serve as regular border guards.

The soldiers' main task is to function as border guards on the Russian border, guarding not only the border to a neighbouring country, but also the European border according to the Schengen Agreement. During wartime their task is to monitor enemy advance and gather intelligence on hostile movement, most likely during covert retreat southwards in Norway.