Selected conscripts compete for Jægerkorpset places

For the first time since 2004, Jægerkorpset, the military’s elite land-based force, is accepting a group of conscripts. DR has followed 24 candidates competing for places in its Patrol Platoon, where only the strongest applicants will be selected.

Three groups of conscripts are completing the final day of a demanding three-day selection process. Tuesday involved strength tests, Wednesday swimming, and Thursday personal interviews followed by a 10-kilometre march.

The candidates hope to experience life as elite soldiers, but only 34 of the 72 preselected conscripts will be chosen. Those selected will move from Monday to Aalborg Air Base, where they will share an address with Jægerkorpset.

“We demand something extraordinary. It will also be a considerably tougher form of conscription,” said Ryan Andersen, commander of the Patrol Platoon.

Conscripts in the platoon will contribute to special operations and work closely with, and sometimes alongside, elite forces. It is the only conscription programme with a physical test that applicants must pass.

“It requires physical strength, but perhaps above all mental strength: being able to keep going when things become really difficult,” said Colonel Kenneth Strøm, head of the conscription programme.

The candidates have been conscripts for nearly two weeks, with the period focused on physical training. They have also completed a running test requiring them to cover at least 2,400 metres in 12 minutes.

At the group followed by DR in Holstebro, 24 candidates have already been reduced to 14. Andersen said the departures were caused by a combination of physical and psychological shortcomings.

Andersen needs 11 candidates from Holstebro. If fewer than 11 complete the selection, he said he would accept that.

“We are looking for people who set goals for themselves and want to perform both individually and as part of a team. People who make room for one another,” he said.

Teamwork is important because conscripts in the Patrol Platoon must function in small groups. That is also why the personal interviews are a key part of the selection process.

Although 10 candidates have already dropped out, Andersen said he was confident that the remaining 14 would complete the tests.

“I can see the fire in their eyes. They are motivated and fighting. They know there are only a few places, and I can feel that they are all aiming for them,” he said.

A new task for Jægerkorpset

Although Jægerkorpset last had conscripts in 2004, taking responsibility for them is a new task for Andersen and the rest of the unit. They must build experience of how far the conscripts can be pushed without breaking them.

“We normally work with patrol candidates for Jægerkorpset. They are robust and know what they are getting into. They have spent many years in the military. Here we have the vulnerable group, the conscripts, and we must take great care of them,” Andersen said.

“I do not want to break them down, either mentally or physically. There is no doubt that we could break them at any time. But that is not what this is about.”

The first three months resemble ordinary conscription. After that, the programme includes special exercises, including at night. Unlike ordinary conscription exercises, the participants will not have trucks accompanying them. Instead, they will learn to walk long distances alone with only their backpacks, on exercises lasting up to 10 days.

They must also be prepared to be sent abroad. For other conscripts, going abroad is voluntary if the opportunity arises. For the Patrol Platoon, it is a requirement.

The military also hopes the new type of conscription will encourage more recruits to remain in the military and eventually join the special forces.

“We very much hope that some of them will develop a taste for something more,” Strøm said.

Andersen said the programme could provide a strong starting point for anyone dreaming of becoming an elite soldier, although the actual selection test and the unit itself are considerably tougher.

“I hope I have planted a small seed in each of them that means I will see them again two or three years after they finish their conscription,” he said. Before applying to Jægerkorpset, he said, they should gain experience in military regiments, receive further training and perhaps become sergeants with leadership experience.