 It can trace its footsteps back to pre-World War II times.During the late 1990s it was the only gun battery in operation, until the MLRS system was introduced, though at that time it was a great deal bigger than its current size.Since Nils Battery's mascot is a bear, it is called the Army's Slagbjørn ("Slagbjørn" being the Norwegian designation of a bear that has attacked people or livestock and should thus be considered a danger).