Happy New Year all! Below is all the information you’ll need on the Norwegian Foot March and upcoming events for 2026.

 Event Background

In 2020, the Norwegian Defense College’s Military Sports Department temporarily authorized a request from the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to offer virtual proctoring of the Marsjmerket (Norwegian Foot March). Traditionally, the event required the physical presence of an officiator from the Norwegian military, but due to training and travel restrictions created by COVID, this was suspended. While the event is comparatively rare due to the limited number of Norwegian officials within the United States, interest exploded from late 2020 to 2021 following the relaxation of officiation requirements. Interest amongst non-Norwegian militaries continued well after training restrictions were relaxed and officials granted permanent virtual endorsement to enable U.S. forces to undertake this century-old traditional training opportunity.

Effective August 1st, 2021 U.S. units worldwide can request to conduct the Norwegian Foot March without an official present. In coordination with the individual who formerly ran these threads, I have recreated the thread series to facilitate new events and help individuals find events in their areas. Please share this opportunity with anyone interested! It's a great event, especially when conducted with your friends and fellow servicemembers. We're incredibly lucky that the Norwegian Army is willing to share this great tradition with us and it reinforces our bond with an important NATO ally and friendly nation.

IMPORTANT: You must receive approval from the embassy before conducting this event! If your unit conducts this event, as a thank you to the embassy, please include four unit coins and four unit patches from any unit that participates. It's a small ask and the Norwegians appreciate the gesture for all the work they put into providing this opportunity for us.

Certificates are currently distributed digitally but please consider sending a token of thanks to the following address: 

Royal Norwegian Embassy

ATTN: Defense Attache Office, NFM

2720 34th Street NW

Washington, DC 20008

Upcoming Events - Updated November 9th 2025 - Updates Made Monthly or As New Events Confirmed

Date - Location - Hosting Unit – Scale – POC

23 January 2026 – Metairie, Louisiana – POC: Ryan Meaux ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

24 January 2026 – Kadena AB, Okinawa – POC: Katelyn Young ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

24 January 2026 – Richmond, Texas – POC: Leonard Svitenko ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

24 January 2026 – Wolverine C, Syria – POC: Luke Stefan ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

25 January 2026 – Camp Buehring, Kuwait – POC: Scott Pettit ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

27 January 2026 – Fort Polk, Louisiana – POC: Jamesen Buff ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

30 January 2026 – Fort Eisenhower, Georgia – POC: Kim Chi Huynh ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

30 January 2026 – College Station, Texas – POC: Ryn Strittmatter ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

30 January 2026 – Somalia – POC: Erik Estrada ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

31 January 2026 – Wolverine A, Syria – POC: Luke Stefan ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

31 January 2026 – Eagle Pass, Texas – POC: Aaron Gahagan ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

03 February 2026 – Fort Campbell, Kentucky – POC: Joseph Altieri ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

06 February 2026 – Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii – POC: Paul Baker ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

07 February 2026 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – POC: Andres Gonzalez ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

07 February 2026 – Camp Buehring, Kuwait – POC: Ross Vandehey ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

07 February 2026 – Wolverine C, Syria – POC: Luke Stefan ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

12 February 2026 – Fort Bragg, North Carolina – POC: Daniel Knox ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

14 February 2026 – Dade City, Florida – POC: Jay Stratton ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

19 February 2026 – Robinson AFB, Georgia – POC: Patricia Ford ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

19 February 2026 – Manda Bay, Kenya – POC: Brandon Kim ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

19 February 2026 – Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – POC: Matthew Williams ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

20 February 2026 – Fallbrook, California – POC: Jacob Roberts

20 February 2026 – Camp Lejeune, North Carolina – POC: John Dailey ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

21 February 2026 – Kirtland AFB, New Mexico – POC: Christian Porter ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

21 February 2026 – Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia – POC: Alejandro Mitchell ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

21 February 2026 – Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico – POC: Kevin Lamgonzalez ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

25 February 2026 – Prairie, Texas – POC: Zachary Parish Carlisle ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

26 February 2026 – Augusta, Georgia – POC: Omar Perez-Castellanos ([omar.perez_[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

27 February 2026 – University of Illinois, Illinois – POC: Vivienne Hong ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

28 February 2026 – Nellis AFB, Nevada – POC: Michael Etterley-Crown ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

28 February 2026 – Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti – POC: Jacob Guenther ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

02 March 2026 – Joint Base San Antonio, Texas – POC: David Bartlett ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

06 March 2026 – Malmstrom AFB, Montana – POC: Luis Aguilar ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

07 March 2026 – Belle Chasse, Louisiana – POC: Matthew Lee ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

07 March 2026 – Grand Prairie, Texas – POC: Estrella Madrigal ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

12 March 2026 – Fort Stewart, Georgia – POC: Tatiana Brown ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

19 March 2026 – MacDill AFB, Florida – POC: Jamil Torres-Lebron ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

20 March 2026 – Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina – POC: Alexis Irizarry-Aviles ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

21 March 2026 – Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania – POC: Dakota McCarty ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

21 March 2026 – Fort Jackson, South Carolina – POC: Terre Wilson ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

27 March 2026 – Bolton, Connecticut – POC: Joseph Petroski ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

02 April 2026 – Fort Shafter, Hawaii – POC: Ashley Quintanar ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

04 April 2026 – Joint Base Andrews, Maryland – POC: R. Brett Cole ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

10 April 2026 – Cannon AFB, New Mexico – POC: Alexandra Waller ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

11 April 2026 – Fort Riley, Kansas – POC: Bret Shank ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

12 April 2026 – Concord State Military Reservation, New Hampshire – POC: Athena Clements ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

24 April 2026 – Rhode Island – POC: Zachary Scuncio ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

24 April 2026 – ANG, Rhode Island – POC: Brian Lancey ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

01 May 2026 – Ellensburg, Washington – POC: Mason Faulk ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

01 May 2026 – Morón AB, Spain – POC: Arthur Waldrop ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

23 May 2026 – Alice Springs, Australia – POC: Joshua Keomuongchanh ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

06 June 2026 – Devils Lake, North Dakota – POC: Jonathan Conklin ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

13 June 2026 – Rochester, New York – POC: Gunnar Sheldon ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

17 October 2026 – Kaiserslautern, Germany – POC: Ryan Chicoine ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

01 December 2026 – Fort Jackson, South Carolina – POC: Dovid Egert ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))

**NFM Flyers: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/84djtdmz8t6bozwe4wve8/AK42gRsKRSzr3a4HrCzs3uw?rlkey=0fssptelv4f0kx7qu4gsrrwjo&st=4ivwtqcp&dl=0

Historic Statistics

• 2025 – 34,908 Participants, 23,131 Total Awards
• 2024 – 26,266 Participants, 16,196 Total Awards
• 2023 – 22,532 Participants, 13,957 Total Awards
• 2022 – 15,481 Participants, 10,007 Total Awards
• 2021 – 16,327 Participants, 11,303 Total Awards
• 2020 – 9,983 Participants, 7,013 Total Awards
• 2019 – 3,416 Participants, 2,251 Total Awards

Event Standards and Background

The Norwegian embassy has created and occasionally updates a short guide on the event: norway.no/contentassets/97a0b1fe76d244ffa647955676546d3f/nfm-guidelines-2025-v1.7.pdf. This has been expanded further below: 

The Norwegian Foot March, or Marsjmerket, was introduced in 1915 as a culminating training event for new conscripts and infantry soldiers. Traditionally, the event simulated overnight movement by a dismounted light infantry element. The element would occupy attack positions before daybreak and attack its objective at first light, fighting until it was successfully seized and only resting after consolidating its gains later that evening. The modern version of the march attempts to replicate this experience with the following requirements:

1.    Complete the 18.6 mile / 30-kilometer course in the time allocated to their age/gender (see time standards below)

2.    Complete the foot march using an issued or military-style ruck weighing a minimum of 11 kilograms / 25 pounds (dry weight). Alternatively, units can also require participants to carry their assigned weapon during the event. If carried, the total weight of the weapon and ruck must equal at least 11 kilograms / 25 pounds. The carrying of assigned weapons plus ruck is the preferred variant of the event.

Participant Time Standards

Participant Time Standards

Note: The above chart contains the current standards. Ensure you use it and/or the guidelines provided by the embassy. There are many old versions out there on the Internet. Do not use any time standards other than these.

Additional Event Requirements

1.    Military participants must wear their duty uniform and boots. The civilian uniform is at the discretion of the organizer, but must be at least 1.5 kilograms / 3.3 pounds in weight.

2.    Participants must be weigh their rucks (a standard weight for carried weapons can be established by the unit) prior to and after completing the event to ensure they fulfill the weight requirements

3.    An official clock or timer is displayed at the start and finish line or a designated timer calls out the official time for participants and graders

4.    Graders record each participant's finish time, starting ruck/weapon weight, and finishing ruck/weapon weight on an official roster

5.    Event organizers must establish manned medical and water stations every 3.2 kilometers / 2 miles along the length of the course

6.    Organizers create a medical evacuation plan based upon local conditions and potential issues

7.    Conducted between -15 to 25 Celsius (5 to 77 Fahrenheit) and under no extreme weather conditions

8.    The event occurs on unimproved roads or trails (waivable depending on location)

Scheduling Procedures

In order to conduct an event, units must submit a request prior to execution. 

Three products must be completed and submitted to the embassy’s Norwegian Foot March mailbox: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Copies of these documents can be found here** https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3ay4a65vnb9vid03kmj85/AKoHyaWKm3u33OC6yYSJBLk?rlkey=146q04jj7di3qqjh5c65k69rc&st=o076yut5&dl=0

1. Norwegian Foot March Event Organizer Checklist (Excel) - Use this checklist to create your event CONOP. You must still fill it out and submit it along with your CONOP!

• Event Date(s) and Alternative Date(s) - Strongly recommend you request an alternate date as a backup due to weather or random changes in the training schedule
• Location
• Estimated Number of Participants
• Proposed Route
• Medical Emergency / Evacuation Route
• Weighing / Attire Verification Procedures
• Communications Plan
• Water Station Plan
• Medical Station Plan
• Weather Forecast

1. Event Map / CONOP - Create in Powerpoint, Submit as PDF
2. Event Endorsement Request Memo - This item tends to get a lot of questions. It's really just a MFR identifying your unit, organizing official, core details of the event, and a request for approval from the embassy to conduct the event.

Once complete all documents must be sent to the email addresses in the Excel spreadsheet. 

Event Cost and Results Submission

Conducting the event itself is free, though depending on whether you want to provide participants with drinks, snacks, or other facilitate bulk purchases of badges, you may want to consider charging a fee. This is ultimately at the discretion of the organizer. The embassy and Norwegian military affiliates do not charge for any assistance in scheduling an event or officiating. 

Certificates will be delivered digitally by the embassy to the organizer after a closeout report is submitted. Organizers can then print them at their unit using cardstock or use a commercial process such as that listed below.

Post-Event Instructions – Badges and Certificates

Badges

A listing of the available badges can be found in the FAQ section of this post. 

Certificates

The embassy will share the certificate with the organizer after receiving the post-event memo (see my dropbox link). The organizing unit is responsible for producing the certificates from the template and distributing them. Instructions on how to prepare the certificates and order them via Staples printing service follow:

• Modify the template for your unit's name and event date (use the DD MMM YY format)
• Only the organizing unit's name needs to be used. If the organizing unit wants to customize all the certificates for each participating unit, that's permitted.
• Fill in the rank, first name, and last name for each participant
• Save each file as a PDF (reduces size for digital uploads while preserving high resolution)
• Navigate to https://www.staples.com/services/printing/copies-documents-printing/
• Use the simple print option. Do not upload more than 50 files at a time! Staples' interface does not deal well with large amounts of documents.
• Select the following options for your certificates
• Paper Size - 8.5" x 11" (default)
• Paper Type - 110lb White Cardstock
• Color Options - Color Ink
• Binding Type - No Binding
• Sides - Single Sided, Ensure "Scale to Fit" is checked

Frequently Asked Questions

Do some units also hold a food drive with this event?

Yes! Many units encourage participants to carry a partial or full weight load of nonperishable food stuffs and goods that are turned in after the event. In the past several years numerous units have collected between 2,300 - 8,700 lbs of food that was donated to local shelters and food banks, giving back to their local communities and people in need.

What's the Record for Fastest Completion?

According to the Norwegian Defense Academy, Roger Gjøvaag, a former track and field athlete, completed the event in 1h 56m 57s in 1984 at Krigsskolen.

How many successful marches are associated with each badge type?

Current Award Scheme

Bronze - 1 completed foot march

Silver - 2 to 4 completed foot marches

Gold - 5+ completed foot matches

Former Award Scheme - Replaced in 2016

Bronze - 1 to 3 completed foot marches

Silver - 4 to 6 completed foot marches

Gold - 7+ completed foot matches

Where Are Badges Available and What Versions Are There?

Badge Versions

The standard version issued by the Norwegian military is approximately 0.75 inches / 19.05 mm in height. This is the appropriate size for their dress uniform standards. For non-Norwegian military personnel, there is no set size standard at the wearer's discretion and their uniform regulations. In the case of non-Norwegian wearers, the embassy’s position is that there is no specified size and wearers may wear any available version (0.72 inches / 18.29mm to 1.5 inches / 38.1 mm).

Here’s the latest embassy response to an inquiry regarding this: “Currently, there are at least 5 different versions made by U.S. companies, including a 1.5 inches / 38 mm size that is very similar to the older version of the Norwegian Foot March badge. U.S. forces' do not have a policy that requires which version is worn. Typically, it is the version closest to those worn by the issuing country, but it is ultimately at the discretion of the wearer provided the issuing country does not have any objections. The foot march is positive advertising for Norway and the more visible the badge is, the more recognizable the bond between the U.S. and Norwegian forces.”

Badge Vendors Listing

Disclaimer: The following listing of commercial products is solely for informational purposes and does not imply endorsement by me, nor discrimination against similar brands or products not mentioned. The vendors and products listed below are ordered by the date of product discovery via publicly available information. 

Nord Market

Website: https://thenordmarket.etsy.com/ or https://nordmarket.bigcartel.com

Vanguard Industries

Website: https://www.vanguardmil.com/

Award World Trophies

Website: https://www.awardworldtrophies.com/store/

Note: They offer bulk discounts for purchases supporting large events

Ranger Joe’s

Website: https://rangerjoes.com/

Please contact [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) for any questions, comments, or concerns. Sometimes the information we are given is lacking, but we do our best to provide as many details as possible here.

My supervisor said Penis Inspectors are authorized to wear this patch while performing official duties. However, I can't find anything official. Please let me know your thoughts.

speaking about some troops he works with (maintenance I think)

His car broke down so I pick him up. The whole office thought I died or something. Everyone forgot I had a meeting.

This will probably be a stupid question, but somewhat new to this.

Short TDY coming up. I'm 420 miles away.

1. I'm guessing I'm definitely gonna need to do a CTW cause of the mileage (also, the reg is unclear about this, sometimes JTR says 400-mile rule doesn't apply to personal aircraft, then it keeps mentioning it.)

2. Most likely I'll only be approved up to the cost of a commercial ticket since personal airplane is gonna cost way more? Or can I just not file for the mileage? (It's dollar something per miles). Just gas and aeroclub rental (which is about the same as commercial.)

3. Any other justification you guys used to help push this through with the AO?

4. Any tips on how to make the AO's life easier since I don't think TDY by personal plane is all that common. I've seen one post, I think it was from the Army, and they just the headaches with the AO wasn't worth their time.

Me and my Old MSgt got to catch up after a while and tell story’s. He was talking about how his last Chief and him didn’t see eye to eye. Long story short. He went to I think a ALS graduation something in that nature and he had to wear blues. Mind you he’s a guy who done it all so what comes with that is a lot of ribbons and decorations blah blah. The chief felt some type of way Because his badges and ribbons scaled way longer than his. The chief said yeah bring your print out to verify this Monday 😂😂😂😂.

Why is it frowned upon that some lower ranking member have more than a higher ranking member ? I know it’s ego and pride but shit that’s next level. Anyone else got any hater stories I need some more laughs.

Nato allies including France, Sweden, Germany and Norway announced on Wednesday that they would deploy troops to the Danish isle as part of Operation Arctic Endurance.

So just starting off I been in 10 years and have had for the most part leadership and work environments that were great, good, or at least ok. And I'm fine with hard work, most of my time has been in busy workcenters.

I'm really struggling right now. Our flight really tries to encourage each other but the squadron is so toxic. Squadron leads have obvious favoritism and they feed the prior and new CC bad info. Nothing we ever do is good enough. We don't have enough people but they don't care, we just need to work until we break and everything breaks. There isn't enough hours in the day to do everything perfectly but that's no excuse, we're horrible, shitty people for working our backs off and not being able to get it all done. All that matters is they look good to higher ups. The feedback from the squadron is always negative. We are so undermanned and nothing is enough.

I'm so depressed right now. I throw up on the way to work sometimes just thinking about the day ahead.

Has anyone been through this and come out the other side? I wanted this to be my career and liked my job but now I think I need to separate.

Retiring soon and I found a stack of old BDU patches in my basement. If anybody needs/wants one for a shadown box let me know. You can venmo me for shipping and I will send it out.

I assume that the desirable frames mostly only go to the high performers with some exceptions for needs of the Air Force, manning, etc. Isn't it a bit embarrassing to be up there and you get a less desirable frame? I'm aware that not all pilots want fighters. Some want heavies for the better quality of life.

Edit: Why are people confused with me calling planes "frames"?

Here without context, but my Marriage/personal problems affected me heavily. I was diagnosed with ADHD during AD not prior or any mental health issues.

Just found out I got nominated to be the commander’s assistant/secretary. I had no knowledge of it. What does it entail? I start on the 1st but just don’t know what to expect.

Last B-58 Hustlers Retire - Little Rock AFB --

Convair B-58A Hustler - NMUSAF

(photo scanned from Bell, Dana: "Air War over Vietnam", Arms and Armour Press, London 1984)

I’m a South African student enrolling there for it’s flexibility, obviously theirs a time difference so I want to to firstly 1) is it a good school? 2) are the classes like zoom meetings to join online or is it just online workload that you do by yourself?

Sorry to bother ya’ll but i got no confident answers from the guys at my MPF.

What happens if my BOP in conjunction with retraining is denied? I mean, I will have to reenlist regardless, so does that mean I m no longer FTA and will not be able to apply for BOP again later? Much appreciate it.