Responsibility for marine infrastructure was regionalized from 1 October 2023. This means that the Stockholm Amphibious Regiment will take over responsibility from the Finnish border in the north to Bråviken in the south.
For Sweden, the sea has always been important and thus the need for a strong navy. Along the Norrland coast, the Marine Harbor in Härnösand forms an important support point. The area around Härnösand and Sundsvall is ideal for various types of marine training and practice and will be used to an increasing degree in the future. There are expedient firing ranges and suitable infrastructure for the practice of both amphibious and marine base units.
Earlier this fall, the head of the Northern Military Region, Colonel Lars Karlsson and Adam Camél met in Härnösand to discuss the formalities surrounding the takeover of the port and coastal area.
There has been a fruitful discussion about the navy’s activities along the Norrland coast. It is very gratifying that the Navy is expanding its operations and basing along the coast that is part of the Northern Military Region’s geographic area. The area is an increasingly important part of Sweden’s coast with regard to, among other things, the expansion of the ports in Sundsvall and Luleå, says Lars Karlsson.
During the autumn, Stockholm’s amphibious regiment has had training and exercises for combat boat crews, where the naval harbor in Härnösand has been the starting point. It is important to get to know the varied archipelago terrain along Sweden’s coast. The character along the coast of Norrland differs from the Stockholm archipelago, where the unit is based.
When the regiment began the takeover of the naval harbor in Härnösand, we saw the opportunity to place the operations around Härnösand and the chance to practice in different terrain than around the Stockholm archipelago, says Sergeant Patrik Ekström, head of the combat boat course 2023 at the Stockholm Amphibious Regiment.
The goal is for the takeover of the marine infrastructure to be completed by the summer of 2024. The operations are coordinated with the Fortifications Agency and the Defense Materiel Administration and the work is in full swing.