An overview obtained by news shows that there have been at least 20 shooting accidents in the Armed Forces in which someone has been injured since 2010. People in the service of the Armed Forces have been hit and injured in several different ways: Shots that hit a colleague’s shoulder Shots in the thigh of a colleague Shots in the arms Shots in the hand Defense Commissioner Roald Linaker believes that the defense management must address the accidents. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news – It is far too much. There are too many dangerous shots with the figures you bring forward. I think that accidents of this nature must be a serious warning to the leadership of the Armed Forces. It should be possible to avoid it to a greater extent, says defense attorney Roald Linaker to news. Hit by bullet that shouldn’t have been there At the weekend, news was able to tell about Maria Mæle Christensen, who was shot in the stomach and life-threateningly injured. Maria Mæle Christensen was shot in the stomach. Surgeons cut open her stomach and had to remove much of her intestines, but she survived. Photo: Privat She took part in an exercise together with Norwegian and Swedish special forces who were supposed to train in the use of dogs. The exercise was to be carried out with loose ammunition or without ammunition for the soldiers who participated. The special soldier who mistakenly fired the shot at her was supposed to have an empty gun and just shout “bang”. Investigations into the accident she was exposed to on Mågerø in 2021 have shown that neither the soldier, mate nor exercise management checked that the weapon was actually empty. Recurring errors It is not the first time that investigations and investigations have shown that shooting accidents in the Armed Forces have occurred, among other things, because the weapon was not checked. RECONSTRUCTION: The officer who shot one of his own soldiers in Rena’s foot fired the weapon through a makeshift table top. They sat around the table to polish their weapons together. Photo: The army’s commission of inquiry In May this year, news was able to tell about how an officer accidentally shot one of his own soldiers in the foot at Rena. Even then, there was a bullet in the weapon that shouldn’t have been there. news’s investigations into such shooting accidents show that this is a mistake that repeats itself. We have been given access to reports and investigations of 13 of the accidents where someone has been injured by live fire. In more than half of these accidents, there was ammunition in the weapon when it should actually have been empty – a total of eight accidents. 2011: Shot in the thighPlace: AfghanistanWeapon: Pistol (P-80)Severe gunshot wound in the thigh after being shot by a fellow soldier.2012: Shot in the handPlace: Setermoen camp, TromsWeapon: Pistol (P-80)Employee shot in the left hand by another employee while cleaning a weapon. 2012: Shot in the foot Location: Rena leir, Innlandet Weapon: Pistol (P-80) Employee shot in the foot by a colleague while cleaning. news told about the case in May, and how the officer who fired the shot was not punished by Eirik Kristoffersen. 2016: Shot in the shoulder Place: Rena leir, Innlandet Weapon: Assault rifle (HK416) Shot in the shoulder by a fellow soldier. Dry training where they aimed at the other party and pulled the trigger. 2018: Shot in the forearm Location: Rygge, Østfold Weapon: Submachine gun (MP7) Sergeant shot in the forearm by a soldier. 2019: Shot in the upper arm Location: Iraq Weapon: Remote controlled weapon station with 12.7 mm machine gunEt 12.7 RWS weapon goes off during preparation because it has not been emptied of ammunition from the previous firing during practice. 2019: Shot himself in the thigh Location: Rena leir, Innlandet Weapon: Excluded from public Conscript shot himself in the thigh. The soldier carried out the “empty weapon” procedure without making sure that the magazine was empty. 2021: Shot in the stomach Location: Mågerø, Vestfold Weapon: Automatic rifle (LWRC/M6IC) Maria Mæle Christensen was shot in the stomach and life-threateningly injured. news reported on the incident and the handling at the weekend. Several different investigations and surveys have pointed out that rules, routines and practices must be tightened up. In the investigation after a shooting accident in 2018, there was also criticism of the inability to learn from mistakes. In the past, accidents in the Armed Forces have been investigated by internal accident commissions and the now defunct National Accident Investigation Board for the Armed Forces. In 2020, responsibility for such investigations was transferred to the same agency that investigates accidents involving aircraft, boats, railways and road traffic. They were the ones who investigated the accident where Maria Mæle Christensen was shot in the stomach. – How does the Accident Investigation Board view the fact that accidents with the same type of error repeatedly occur in the Armed Forces – that there is ammunition in weapons that should have been empty? – It indicates a need to improve practice, coordination and compliance with the safety regulations for handling weapons. There is a need to improve both risk assessments and barriers that can prevent dangerous shots, says department director Ingvild K. Ytrehus in the National Accident Investigation Board to news. Department director Ingvild K. Ytrehus in the National Accident Investigation Board has investigated accidents in the Norwegian Armed Forces since 2020. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news In news’s case about the accident on Mågerø where a conscript was shot in the stomach and life-threateningly injured, it also emerged that advice had already been given about what could be done to help prevent such incidents. These advices had not been fully dealt with by the Armed Forces when the accident occurred. Among other things, this applied to points related to training with weapons that must be empty – dry robbery. Defense ombudsman: – That it is happening again is very regrettable. The Ombudsmen for the Defense has been appointed by the Storting to promote and protect the rights and interests of those who serve in the Defense. Roald Linaker is the defense attorney and chair of the tribunal. He reacts to what he hears from news. – It is very regrettable that personnel are injured in this way during training and practice. That it happens again despite commissions and investigations is also very regrettable. I think as a defense representative that looking after the safety of personnel is the most important thing the Defense does, says Linaker. The Defense Commissioner is appointed by the Storting. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news The Ombudsmen has not dealt with individual cases related to shooting accidents, but they are very concerned about the safety of everyone in the Armed Forces. They have pointed out several times that they are concerned about security. Among other things, they have pointed out that those who are supposed to train young soldiers are too few and too poorly trained. Defense attorney Linaker therefore believes that this must be followed up. – I think it is challenging if the Norwegian Armed Forces do not take the Accident Investigation Board’s work seriously, and do everything they can to close discrepancies. They must do everything they can to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, says Linaker. Make your own rules – something that is not recommended Some of the reports also reveal how certain departments make their own routines and rules for how they handle weapons. The special forces are such a department. In the report on the accident at Rena where an officer was shot in the foot by his boss, the commission of inquiry was concerned that a culture could have developed in the special forces. A culture where safety rules were not followed when experienced soldiers were involved. Already in 2011, after another accident, a tendency was highlighted not to follow the rules, or to create their own rules. Today’s agency that investigates accidents in the Norwegian Armed Forces, the National Accident Investigation Board, is also keen to have systems and barriers that help avoid accidents. – In several of the reports that news has read, there is a point that certain departments create their own routines. They therefore do not follow the overall safety rules. How does the Accident Investigation Board see it? – In general, the safety regulations must be followed because these are important barriers that will help prevent accidental shootings, says department director Ingvild K. Ytrehus in the National Accident Investigation Board. The defence: – One mistake is one too many news has asked for a comment from defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen about the number of shooting accidents where people are injured, and that mistakes are repeated. The Norwegian Armed Forces have chosen to stand up for an interview with communications manager and brigadier Eystein Kvarving. – Why is the Armed Forces unable to prevent this from happening again and again? – That is what we work for all the time, and we rely on safety rules. Nevertheless, mistakes do happen, and one mistake is one mistake too many, Kvarving replies. Communications manager Eystein Kvarving in the Norwegian Defense Forces says they want to avoid accidents. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news He believes that there is always a risk there, but is not happy when someone is injured. – We fire 40 million sharp shots every single year. Nevertheless, we are not satisfied that there have been these 20 cases of serious personal injuries caused by live shots since 2010, he says. The communications manager says that the work with security is an ongoing task within the Norwegian Armed Forces. They change and improve both rules and routines. The safety rules are revised at least once a year, according to Kvarving. Ongoing work for improvement Asked why some departments develop their own routines, contrary to what experts recommend, the Defense spokesperson says that the only thing he knows is that the special forces have their own set of rules. – It is because these are elite soldiers who need to practice in a very realistic way. Our special forces have a counter-terror mission on behalf of Norway which is quite advanced. They are dependent on training with a slightly higher risk than departments in the Armed Forces which are not as well trained, says communications manager Kvarving. The Norwegian Defense Forces states that the work to handle and close all advice and recommendations that come after investigations is an ongoing task. Some are solved with changes in rules and routines. Other improvements may involve the purchase and use of new safety equipment. – Does the defense have the ability to learn from previous mistakes and accidents? – I would certainly say that we have. That does not mean that mistakes can never happen again, but I believe that the Armed Forces are a learning organisation. We have systems in place to learn from mistakes that are made, even serious mistakes, replies communications manager Eystein Kvarving. Granskinger, and the Norwegian Armed Forces themselves, have several times had technical devices up for consideration to prevent ammunition from entering weapons during dry robbery. Here is an example that was mentioned in the report after an accident in 2018. Photo: Norwegian Accident Investigation Board for the Norwegian Armed Forces Hello! Do you have any input for us? Do you know of other matters in the Armed Forces that news should look at? Or do you know more about this case? Feel free to contact us by e-mail if you have input. You can also send us input, tips and information encrypted and secure via news’s extra secure notification reception – see how to submit via news’s SecureDrop here. news’s journalists have previously made several cases about conditions in the Armed Forces – among other things about whistle-blowing, about the senior sergeant who was tried to be pressured to lie to the police, the helicopter squadron commander who was tried to be pressured out of his job, the women who told about sexual harassment from a colonel, the lieutenant colonel who said that she was asked to write about reports, about trampling by Norwegian officers on UN missions in South Sudan, about Silje Falmår who told about bullying, harassment and abuse during his first service, about the officer who was punished for reprehensible actions towards a cleaner and yet got a new position and the threatening shot at a colleague who was not punished. We are always interested in new information that enables us to shine a spotlight on the defense sector. So just get in touch with us. Marit Higraff, Tormod Strand, Christine Svendsen, Øyvind Bye SkilleJournalists at NRKSend me an e-mail
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Mistakes are repeated in the Armed Forces – at least 20 people injured – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
