Harald Sunde (general)
Encyclopedia
General Harald Sunde is the Chief of Defence of Norway
, as of October 2010. He is a Norwegian
military officer, and he is the head of Norway's National Joint Headquarters.
He was commander of both special forces
related to the Army, namely Hærens Jegerkommando
and Forsvarets Spesialkommando, from 1992 to 1996.
He became Chief of Defence
, succeeding General Sverre Diesen
, on October 1, 2009. (His promotion was announced on May 29, 2009.
He awarded the War Cross (Norway) to three veterans on Norways first Veteran Day on 8 May 2011
(krigsadvokaten) criticized Sunde in October 2010, as a result of Sunde's command
's not having notified military police after claims had been made about war crimes possibly having been committed by Norwegian soldiers. (The only crimes which were acknowledged by soldiers, were a number of instances of spraypainting images of skulls (Totenkopf
) onto buildings belonging to civillians — to show that Norwegian soldiers (of Telemark Battalion
) were in charge of their area of operation in Afghanistan. The crimes involving spraypainting, have not been prosecuted by Norway as of 2011.)
have filed complaints with Norwegian Police
and with Judge Advocate General
, against Sunde in 2011. Spokesman for Forsvarsledelsen, E.Kvarving, has acknowledged the existence of the formal complaints and declined to comment any further. The police dropped (henleggelse) the complaint later in 2011, and the appeal of that decision is being reviewed by the office of the District Attorney of Oslo (Oslo statsadvokatembete).
Chief of Defence of Norway
The Chief of Defence of Norway is the highest ranking officer of the Military of Norway, second only to the King of Norway. Even though he holds the same rank as the King of Norway, according to the Norwegian Constitution the King holds the highest command of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Home...
, as of October 2010. He is a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
military officer, and he is the head of Norway's National Joint Headquarters.
He was commander of both special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
related to the Army, namely Hærens Jegerkommando
Hærens Jegerkommando
Hærens Jegerkommando is a special forces unit of the Norwegian military. It is the armed forces competence center for commando, airborne and counter terrorist duty in the Norwegian Army. Its headquarters are located 30 km...
and Forsvarets Spesialkommando, from 1992 to 1996.
He became Chief of Defence
Chief of Defence of Norway
The Chief of Defence of Norway is the highest ranking officer of the Military of Norway, second only to the King of Norway. Even though he holds the same rank as the King of Norway, according to the Norwegian Constitution the King holds the highest command of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Home...
, succeeding General Sverre Diesen
Sverre Diesen
General Sverre Diesen is a Norwegian military officer and former Chief of Defence of Norway. Diesen was succeeded as Chief of Defence by Lieutenant General Harald Sunde on 1 October 2009.-References:* at...
, on October 1, 2009. (His promotion was announced on May 29, 2009.
He awarded the War Cross (Norway) to three veterans on Norways first Veteran Day on 8 May 2011
Follow-up of crimes and alleged crimes committed by Norwegian ISAF soldiers in Afghanistan
The Judge Advocate GeneralJudge Advocate General
In the United Kingdom, the Judge Advocate General and Judge Martial of all the Forces is a judge responsible for the court martial process within the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.-Qualifications:...
(krigsadvokaten) criticized Sunde in October 2010, as a result of Sunde's command
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
's not having notified military police after claims had been made about war crimes possibly having been committed by Norwegian soldiers. (The only crimes which were acknowledged by soldiers, were a number of instances of spraypainting images of skulls (Totenkopf
Totenkopf
The Totenkopf is the German word for the death's head and an old symbol for death or the dead. It consists usually of the skull and the mandible of the human skeleton...
) onto buildings belonging to civillians — to show that Norwegian soldiers (of Telemark Battalion
Telemark Battalion
The Telemark Bataljon is a mechanised infantry unit of the Norwegian Army. It was established in 1993, and is a part of Brigade Nord and stationed at Rena, Hedmark...
) were in charge of their area of operation in Afghanistan. The crimes involving spraypainting, have not been prosecuted by Norway as of 2011.)
Formal complaints against Sunde reported to police and JAG
Former members of military unit HV-016HV-016
HV-016 is a former military unit of Norway, that was a part of the Home Guard. It was established after 1985 to "stop terror- or sabotage actions that could weaken or paralyze Norway's ability to mobilize its military and its ability to resist".- Background :...
have filed complaints with Norwegian Police
Norwegian Police Service
The Norwegian Police Service is the official police force in Norway which are run by the Minister of Justice and Police. The department consists of 27 regional areas and seven national special forces. The department has about 11,000 employees....
and with Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General
In the United Kingdom, the Judge Advocate General and Judge Martial of all the Forces is a judge responsible for the court martial process within the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.-Qualifications:...
, against Sunde in 2011. Spokesman for Forsvarsledelsen, E.Kvarving, has acknowledged the existence of the formal complaints and declined to comment any further. The police dropped (henleggelse) the complaint later in 2011, and the appeal of that decision is being reviewed by the office of the District Attorney of Oslo (Oslo statsadvokatembete).
Honours and awards
- Commander with Star of the Order of St. Olav
- Defense Service Medal with laubær branch
- Defense Service Medal with two stars
- Defence Medal for International Operations
- Protection Skill Medal
- NATO MedalNATO MedalThe NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It is manufactured by Eekelers - Centini, International, of Hemiksem, Belgium...
(former Yugoslavia)