The Norwegian Army traces its formal establishment to 1628, when Christian IV organized a national conscript force — one of the earliest standing armies in northern Europe built on mandatory service rather than mercenary recruitment. This 1978 issue marks the 350th anniversary of that founding. The date arithmetic is slightly awkward: 1628 to 1978 is correct, but the army's organizational continuity through Swedish union and German occupation required some institutional creativity in how that lineage was officially maintained.
The Norwegian Army traces its formal establishment to 1628, when Christian IV organized a national conscript force — one of the earliest standing armies in northern Europe built on mandatory service rather than mercenary recruitment. This 1978 issue marks the 350th anniversary of that founding. The date arithmetic is slightly awkward: 1628 to 1978 is correct, but the army's organizational continuity through Swedish union and German occupation required some institutional creativity in how that lineage was officially maintained.