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Frogman Corps (Denmark)

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Frogman Corps[1]
Frømandskorpset
Emblem of the Frogman Corps
Active17 June 1957 – present[2]
Country Denmark
Branch Royal Danish Navy
TypeFrogman
RoleSpecial operations
Combat diving
Special reconnaissance
Size150[3]
Part ofSpecial Operations Command
Garrison/HQKongsøre[1]
NicknamesFKP, Et hold af frøer
EngagementsOperation Ocean Shield
Decorations
Presidential Unit Citation (United States)
WebsiteOfficial Facebook page

The Frogman Corps[1] (Danish: Frømandskorpset) is the maritime special operations force of the Danish Armed Forces. On 1 July 2015, the Frogman Corps transferred from the Royal Danish Navy to the newly established Special Operations Command.[4]

History

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The Frogman Corps was established on 17 June 1957 based on the model of the United Kingdom's Special Boat Service,[5] US Underwater Demolition Team, and Marinejegerkommandoen in Norway. Initially it was under the Danish Navy's Diving School at Flådestation Holmen (Naval Station Holmen, Copenhagen), but in 1972 it was made an independent unit, operationally under the submarine squadron.[6][7]

Role

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The Frogman Corps' primary role is reconnaissance,[8] but it is also tasked with assaulting enemy ships, sabotage of fixed installations, advance force and maritime anti-terrorism tasks.[9]

It also performs special operations work on land, including anti-terrorism and anti-criminal work. The Frogman Corps support the police with matters that demand highly specialised diving. Local authorities, etc. can also benefit from the frogmen's skills, for example when underwater installations must be inspected.

Training

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The Frogman Corps trains at the Torpedo Station at Kongsøre[10] and works through a long series of courses, e.g.:

  • Combat swimmer course for three weeks
  • Advanced scuba diving course
  • Rescue swimmer course
  • Survival course

The basic Frogman Course is nine months. Each year 500–600 applicants start the course and less than a dozen complete all nine months. Since its creation in 1957, 311 have completed the training and become frogmen as of 2015.[11]

King Frederik X of Denmark passed selection and completed continuation training to become a badged Frogman, in the course of which he earned the nickname "Pingo", when his drysuit filled with water and he was forced to waddle like a penguin.[12][13]

In 2015, a DR-produced documentary detailing the life of Frogman cadets was released.[14]

Operations

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The Frogman Corps were involved in operations in Afghanistan, such as Task Force K-Bar, and in Iraq.[15]

From 2008 until the end of 2014, the Frogman Corps was involved in counter-piracy operations as part of Operation Ocean Shield.[15] On 5 February 2010, ten Frogman Corps members aboard HDMS Absalon (L16) conducted a counter-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden approaching the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant vessel Ariella by rigid hull inflatable boat which had been hijacked by six armed Somali pirates.[16][17] They scaled the side of the ship and freed the 25 crew, who had locked themselves in a secure room, and continued to search the vessel for the pirates who had fled.[17]

In November 2021, a unit from the Frogman Corps was involved in counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea deployed aboard the Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS Esbern Snare (F342). On 25 November 2021, soldiers from the unit were involved in a firefight with eight suspected pirates aboard a fast-moving craft where four suspects were killed and one wounded and the surviving three were captured. The soldiers suffered no casualties.[18]

Equipment

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Facts and Figures" (PDF). Danish Defence. The Danish Armed Forces. February 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  2. ^ Fridberg, Anders (16 June 2017). "Fotos fra frøernes Kongsøre - Frømandskorpset fejrede sig selv med action i Isefjorden" [The Frogman Corps celebrated itself with action in the Isefjord]. Danish Defence (in Danish). Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  3. ^ Havskov, Jens Anton (24 June 2013). "The Danish Version of the Navy SEALs". bt.dk (in Danish). Berlingske Media. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Jægerkorpset og Frømandskorpset overdrages til Specialoperationskommandoen" [The Hunter Corps and the Frogman Corps are handed over to the Special Operations Command]. Danish Defence (Press release) (in Danish). 25 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  5. ^ "El "Special Boat Service" de la Infantería de Marina Británica" [The “Special Boat Service” of the British Marine Corps]. Revista de las Fuerzas Armadas (in Spanish) (79). Escuela Superior de Guerra “General Rafael Reyes Prieto": 91–98. 30 April 1975. doi:10.25062/0120-0631.2442. ISSN 2981-3018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  6. ^ "The Danish Armed Forces". Defence Command Denmark. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Special Forces of the Cold War, 1946–1991". Fighting Elites: 143–210. 2011. doi:10.5040/9798400650888.ch-003.
  8. ^ a b c d "Danish Frogmen: Special Maritime Operators". Grey Dynamics. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Meet the Danish Frogmen who just took down a boatful of pirates in the Atlantic". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  10. ^ Frømandskorpset. "About" (in Danish). Facebook. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Frømandskorpset (1:5)" (Video). DR.dk/TV (in Danish). Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  12. ^ Bremer, Sophie (21 November 2011). "Pingo Playing With Australian Special Forces". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). JP/Politikens Hus A/S. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  13. ^ "Alt det du ikke ved om kronprins Frederik" [Everything you don't know about Crown Prince Frederik]. DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  14. ^ Rasmussen, Sofie Amalie. "DR1 giver et unikt indblik i Frømandskorpset" [DR1 provides a unique insight into the Frogman Corps]. DR.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Frømandskorpset - About". Facebook (in Danish). This is the official Facebook site of the Danish Naval Special Warfare Group (Frogman Corps). Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  16. ^ "NATO warship Absalon saves ship from pirate attack". United States European Command (Press release). NATO Public Affairs. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Danish Forces Storm Somali Pirate Ship, Free 25 People On Board". Nairobi, Kenya. 14 January 2015 [2010-02-05]. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2025 – via Fox News.
  18. ^ Nielsen, Mads Korsager (25 November 2021). "Fire dræbt efter ildkamp med Frømandskorpset" [Four killed after firefight with Frogman Corps]. DR.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  19. ^ "SIG SAUER P320 X-Carry to Become the Standard Service Pistol for the Danish Ministry of Defense". www.sigsauer.com. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  20. ^ a b c Staff, Tactical Life (24 June 2014). "Great Danes: A Look at Danish Special Operations' Elite Units". Athlon Outdoors Exclusive Firearm Updates, Reviews & News. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
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