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 (""). 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 a 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). The Naval Protection Force ("Marineschutzkräfte") consisted out of around 500 soldiers and structured into a staff company, three combat companies plus a HUMINT platoon. Every company, led by a lieutenant ("Kapitänleutnant", OF-2). Despite their short time of existence (8 years), the German Naval Protection Forces participated in a range of national and international Deployments. Official information on marine de:  Other information: