The matter in summary: – Norway has been invited by Great Britain to contribute to Operation Interflex, where Norwegian Home Guard soldiers train civilian Ukrainians to become soldiers. – One of the Norwegian instructors is Arne, a lecturer from Vestfold and Telemark, who will take time off from his job to take part in the operation. – Many of the Ukrainian civilians who are sent to the UK for training may be in similar situations to Arne, but unlike Norway, there is war in Ukraine. – Operation Interflex is led by Norwegian Home Guard soldiers , who are ordinary people with a military background. – Although the mission is demanding both physically and mentally, the Norwegian soldiers believe that it is important to contribute, both for the Ukrainians and for Norway. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. They sneak into icy trenches and practice positional warfare. Everyone is focused on their own task. No one must fail. It could mean death. Positional warfare is one of the things Ukrainians will face as soldiers when they go to the front. It is therefore important that the instructors can teach this in a good and efficient way. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news This is the reality for the Ukrainians they will meet in Great Britain. Two years ago, Norway was invited by the British to contribute to Operation Interflex. Since then, Norwegian Home Guard soldiers have trained 3,100 Ukrainian civilians to become soldiers in Great Britain. In January, 100 new instructors will leave from Norway. 100 Home Guard soldiers prepare themselves physically and mentally for what will meet them in Great Britain. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news From catheter to trench One of the Home Guard soldiers who has applied as an instructor in Operation Interflex is Arne. He lives in Vestfold and Telemark, is married and has two teenage children. They fully support him in his choice to go to Great Britain, he says. Arne feels a great responsibility when he has to train Ukrainians to become soldiers. – We do the best we can in the short time frame we have been given. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news He has taken time off from his usual life as a lecturer. For ten weeks, he will exchange school students with civilian Ukrainians who are in an ongoing war. The aim is to turn them into soldiers within five weeks. – You feel that you are involved and contributing. Helping with basic soldiering skills that many of them lack. Similar, but in a completely different situation Several of the Ukrainians who are sent to Great Britain for training, and for whom Arne will be an instructor, may also be quite ordinary teachers. The difference is that in Norway there is peace. There is war in Ukraine. The future instructors in Operation Interflex are practicing position warfare. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news – We meet a cross-section of the Ukrainian population in terms of age and experience. Many also possibly have experiences that are also heavy for them to bear. Home Guard soldier Caroline believes her professional background can be useful in dealing with the Ukrainians. The soldiers are encouraged to conceal their identity for their own safety and that of their families, both before, during and after the mission in the UK. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news She works daily as a department head in a prison. – There are vulnerable people in situations that we cannot compare ourselves to either. So I will probably draw experience from that and use the interpersonal contact to create security and relationships when meeting the Ukrainians. Completely ordinary people with ordinary jobs. Bjørn is also standing in the forest, closely following the training that is taking place. He is company commander in Operation Interflex. Norway has a moral obligation to contribute to Ukrainian freedom, says Bjørn, who is company commander in Operation Interflex. He will help lead the troops over to Great Britain in January. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news He thinks it is nice and important that it is precisely Home Guard soldiers who take on this mission in Great Britain. – They are completely ordinary people who meet other ordinary people, where the Norwegians also have a good military background. Home Guard soldier Caroline lies in the snow and aims her rifle. They practice positional warfare. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news The difference is that Ukraine is in the middle of an ongoing war, and the need for soldiers is great. That’s exactly what Arne has given some thought to. – We probably have to recognize that some of those we train will drop out. But we give them better conditions to manage at the front than what they had before. And in that sense it is a meaningful contribution, I think. Important to contribute In the UK there are long days ahead, both physically and mentally. An intense program has been planned where the Home Guard soldiers will get to know the future Ukrainian soldiers well, says Caroline. – Mentally, the challenge will probably be to understand their situation, and the idea that they are going back to Ukraine. Although the assignment requires a lot from each individual, she hopes that those who have the opportunity contribute to Operation Interflex. Caroline hopes that the contribution they will make in the UK will help make Europe a more peaceful place. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news – It is important both for the Ukrainians, Norway and generally everyone. We want peace, she concludes.
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Home Guard soldiers contribute to Operation Interflex for Ukraine to get more soldiers – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
