The Special Support and Reconnaissance Company , until 1 January 2007 known as the Patrol Company Army Operational Command is the only remaining Long Range Surveillance Company (LRSC) / Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) Coy) in the Danish Armed Forces. The unit is part of the Danish Home Guard

Danish Home Guard

The Danish Home Guard is the fourth service of the Danish military, formerly concerned only with the defence of Danish territory, but since 2008, it has also participated in forward operating base guard duties in Afghanistan. Service is voluntary and unpaid, except that the most basic expenses...

, and the only one of its kind, working directly for the Danish Army.

History

The unit was founded in 1995, when the Special Intelligence Patrols (SEP) were disbanded. It was first assigned to the Land Command Zealand (Corps-level) and later on the Danish Army Operational Command.

Special Intelligence Patrols (SEP)

The Special Intelligence Patrols (Specielle Efterretningspatruljer or SEP) was founded in 1959 during the early cold war years and was specialised in collecting tactical intelligence behind enemy lines. Originally this was done using static observation sites but later on by insertable intelligence patrols operating behind enemy lines.

The legacy of the Special Intelligence Patrols has not been forgotten and the basic skills (LRS/LRRP) and special reconnaissance

Special reconnaissance

Special reconnaissance is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organisations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detection by the enemy. As a role, SR is distinct from commando operations,...

 capabilities have been maintained and developed within Patruljekompagniet. During the cold war and until the turn of the century SEP - and later Patruljekompagniet - cross-trained with British TA Special Air Service

Special Air Service

Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...

 units from 21 SAS (V) (Artists' Rifles

Artists' Rifles

The Artists Rifles is a volunteer regiment of the British Army. Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Boer Wars and World War I, earning a number of battle honours; however, it did not serve outside of Britain during World War II, as...

) and 23 SAS (V) when they visited Denmark during large scale NATO exercises, as well as US Army Special Forces.

Combat Swimmers

Patruljekompagniet has the capability to insert patrols covertly from the sea, due to their training with the Danish Frogman Corps

Danish Frogman Corps

The Danish Frogman Corps is an elite special forces frogman corps in the Royal Danish Navy.This corps was set up on June 17, 1957 based on the model of the British SBS...

. They are trained as combat swimmers and are capable of various kinds of covert surface insertions.

Close Protection Teams

In 2006 special selected soldiers from the SSR, among others, was trained by the Danish Army Special Operations Forces Jægerkorpset

Jægerkorpset

The Jaeger Corps is the special forces unit of the Royal Danish Army stationed at Aalborg Air Base.-Insignia and status :Jægerkorpset wears the maroon beret with a brass emblem depicting a hunter's bugle on a black felt liner. The beret is issued after completion of an 16 week selection...

 as military close protection operators and partisipated in Danish Army Protection Teams (Protective Services Detail / DA Army PSD) in Iraq.

SSR

From beginning of the year 2007 Patruljekompagniet change name into Hjemmeværnets Særlig- Støtte og Rekognosceringskompagni (SSR) - the Special- Support and Reconnaissance Coy. Patruljekompagniet was no longer available only to the Danish Army Operational Command (DAOC) but to all the Danish Defence Commands e.g. the Danish Navy Operational Command. This marked the end of Patruljekompagniet and the beginning of a new era for this historical specialised unit of volunteer soldiers.

NOTE: Some local homeguard scoutplatoons carry the name of "Patruljekompagni" for historical reasons, but has no patrolling capability beyond scoutplatoon-level and has no LRS-capability. Only SSR - the former Patruljekompagniet to the AOC - can be labeled a "Patruljekompagni" (LRSC/LRRP-COY) in military terms.

External links

• SSR - official homepage
• SSR - official recruiting homepage
• Special Support and Reconnaissance - official homepage in English
• The Special Support and Reconnaissance Company Danish Defense website.
• SSR: The Danish Frogman Corps’ extra eyes and ears – and hands! article about supporting the Danish Navy SOF.
• Special Forces are in place article about Danish SOF exercise.
• SSR documents at Issuu - official archive of articles and print about SSR.
• Patruljekompagniet
• Danish Special Operations Forces and LRS units
• SSR - unofficial homepage
• YouTube videos about Patruljekompagniet and SSR