Naval Protection Force (Germany)

The Naval Protection Force (German: Marineschutzkräfte — MSK) was a marine unit of the German Navy. It had the size of a Battalion and was part of the 1st Flotilla (Einsatzflottille 1). It was established on April 1, 2005, but traces its roots back to 1958, when the so-called Sea battalion (Seebataillon) was activated. Its headquarters was in Eckernförde on the Baltic Sea. Next to the Naval Special Deployment Force (Spezialisierte Einsatzkräfte Marine, SEKM), the Naval Protection Force were considered to be an marine element within the German Navy.

The Naval Protection Force battalion was organized into five units: one staff and support company, three naval protection companies and one military intelligence platoon.

On 1 April 2014 the Naval Protection Force became an integral part of the re-formed Seebataillon (Naval Force Protection Battalion).

Deployments

 * Afghanistan: 8th contingent of ISAF (one Infantry unit)
 * Bosnia and Herzegovina: Deployment within EUFOR
 * Cyprus: Harbour Protection Element (HPE) in Limassol to safeguard the port of call of the German UNIFIL units
 * Djibouti: Deployment within Operation Enduring Freedom
 * Horn of Africa: Deployment within Operation Atalanta
 * Kosovo: Deployment within KFOR
 * Lebanon: Mobile Protection Elements (MPE) for the protection of UNIFIL vessels