11 Facts About Eirik Kristoffersen

Eirik Johan Kristoffersen was born on 3 April 1969 and is a Norwegian Army General who serves as the head of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Eirik Kristoffersen is a former Chief of the Norwegian Army and Norwegian Home Guard, and Chief of the Armed Forces' Special Command.

Eirik Kristoffersen was awarded the War Cross with Sword in 2011 for his service in Afghanistan.

Eirik Kristoffersen enrolled in non-commissioned officers' in 1988 and served as squad leader in the Engineer Battalion.

Eirik Kristoffersen spent 12 years in FSK between 2000 and 2014, rising in the ranks from patrol member to commander.

On 30 October 2022, Norwegian media said that Eirik Kristoffersen's narrative regarding the one operation for which he received the War Cross with Sword - is wrong; a September 2007 operation of which Eirik Kristoffersen was its operations officer, did not capture a Taliban leader; the intended goal of the operation was Qari Nejat but instead the wrong man was arrested.

The Norwegian Foreign Service including its embassy in Kabul, knew that the wrong man was arrested, and so did Norwegian Intelligence Service; Eirik Kristoffersen says that he was never informed that the wrong man was arrested.

The leader of the committee that gave War Cross with Sword - to Eirik Kristoffersen, said that we would never have given the medal if we had known that the wrong man was arrested.

Mohammed Naseem was killed in 2010; in 2011 Norwegian media reported his death and that "therefore the lawsuit" would not materialize; later in 2011 Eirik Kristoffersen got War Cross with Sword.

However, Eirik Kristoffersen said that the name used, in the report to headquarters in Norway, was Mohammad Naseem.

Eirik Kristoffersen is one of Norway's most highly decorated soldiers still on active duty.