Fenrir
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When they finally saw the advantages of smaller caliber rapid fire in
Not really. In fact the opposite was true for the most part. An initial force was sent into Afghanistan in 2003 with the G3.
At this point the force was comprised primarily of special operations forces from MJK and KJK, also armed with the G3 and MP5s.
The bulk of the regular force was part of Telemark Battalion and was in theater as part of a Force Protection unit, not as combat troops. It wasn't until about mid-2005 that you started to see armed patrols from Norwegian units.
One year later the HK416 starts to show up, but the decision to replace the G3 with the HK416 wasn't a result of the War in Afghanistan, rather it was a result of Norway seeking to come inline with developments in NATO including a shift towards a smaller caliber.
The HK416 has and continues to serve well in Afghanistan, but in an annual assessment report, Norwegian troops in Afghanistan reported that beyond 400m the HK416 just isn't up to par and requested RPGs, mortars, heavy machine guns and higher caliber rifles. What was sent to them?
Partially the new HK417 for field trials, in this case by members of KJK.
But the AG3 returned to theater as well.
It fulfills a role the HK416 can't. The shift to the HK416 wasn't so much a reaction to Afghanistan, because Afghanistan's terrain is suited moreso to long-range weapons, but that NATO was shifting and Norway, being a NATO member, had to keep up. In Afghanistan the higher caliber G3 was preferred over the HK416/
That's what the snipers and DMs and artillery and choppers are for.
Distance engagement doesn't necessarily mean long-range, just outside of the effective fire range of a given platform. Where the HK416 starts to lose effectiveness, the HK417 or AG3 retain lethality.
This is also why in Western armies we're seeing the emergence of a squad sniper tactics. Tactical changes to make up for deficiencies in arms. No need to alter the arms used, rather make tactical shifts to adapt to changing conditions.
This is something the Soviets had been doing with their SVD for some time, but they had the tradeoff of not using dedicated snipers as frequently.
Yeah, tell the enemy to fight differently, cuz we don't have the right gun to fight them as it is.
No. You adapt to what you have and make it fit. No one asked militants in Iraq or Afghanistan to stop using IEDs, they simply adapted heavier vehicles, jamming technologies and new tactics to lessen the threat.
Also, don't get this the wrong way, but if the Norwegian army gets its guns wrong, it's not like they have much to lose anyways. They're a third world country which has always been peaceful and no one really wants to mess with it.
Third world as in neutral right? Not aligned with the US or Russia? The Cold War meaning... yes (can't be from an economic perspective as Norway is one of, if not the, most developed nations)? If so then no. Norway is firmly in the NATO camp, being a NATO member state.
As for being peaceful, well Norway did partake in the wars in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Libya, Iraq, Iraq again:
And likely has elements in Syria and supporting allied action in African nations, so I'm not sure I can agree with us being peaceful. Norway is largely strife free, but our military has seen constant action. This doesn't even touch on counter piracy ops off the Horn of Africa or anti-smuggling ops in the Mediterranean.
We also do have someone that enjoys messing with us, as we share a long sea and land border with Russia.
They're friendly for the most part, but they're still an irritant.
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