– We cannot have a form of impunity in the Armed Forces, says Nils-Ole Foshaug (Ap) to news. He speaks as the government party’s defense policy spokesperson in the Storting. What Foshaug is referring to are cases where whistleblowers speak about conditions in the Armed Forces, but then find that the person being investigated for having violated laws and regulations simply changes jobs or is promoted. – We have seen that people have been dismissed without any consequences. We have also seen that there are some people who are advancing in positions without anything being done, he says. The Labor Party in the Storting therefore believes that it is now time to look at measures relating to the handling of objectionable conditions in the Armed Forces – both in the short and long term. Because according to the party’s spokesperson, something should be done. – In order to avoid that those who have been notified can move on without consequences, I think we need to put measures in place, says Nils-Ole Foshaug. Several cases In a number of cases, news has told about the handling of whistle-blowing cases and objectionable circumstances in the Norwegian Armed Forces. In several of the cases, the whistleblowers have said that they perceived that what they said did not have much consequence for the person responsible for the objectionable circumstances. Among other things, about how Kristine Solhaug experienced that her immediate boss was drunk driving, and then asked her to lie to the police. The police took this picture when they arrived at the scene and started the investigation into drunk driving. Photo: The police Although the man was convicted in a trial, he continued to work in the Armed Forces. Solhaug experienced that the man with the rank of major in the Army was given a new and important position while the case was under investigation. The man himself has expressed to news that he believes he has not done what he was sentenced for. When news confronted the chief of defense about the case, Eirik Kristoffersen said that he thought the case had to be looked at again. news has also told how five women told about sexual pressure from a colonel in reports and interrogations. The Norwegian Defense Forces were notified of the case and investigated it. At the same time, they let the man take up a new high-ranking position. He advanced in rank to colonel. The officer has always denied that he subjected women to involuntary sexual attention. Will stop promotions Also in the last case from the initial service at Bardufoss in Troms, there were several young men involved who were not given military punishment – even though the investigation showed that what they had done was punishable, according to the Defense itself. Silje Falmår told news how she experienced both verbal and physical sexual harassment from male fellow soldiers. – We have also seen an example of that in the case of Silje. There were soldiers who had been discharged, and thus nothing appeared on the military roll because they could not follow up on the case, says Foshaug in the Labor Party. Nils-Ole Foshaug is defense policy spokesperson for the Labor Party. Photo: Øystein Antonsen / news Nils-Ole Foshaug sits on the defense committee at the Storting and is the defense policy spokesperson for the Labor Party. He is also a former mayor of the defense municipality of Målselv. These matters are part of the background to why he is now proposing several concrete measures. He is now proposing these two measures: No one can be promoted until a notification case has been completed. You cannot get the service statement until a notification case has been processed. – Yes, my recommendation is that the Norwegian Armed Forces ensure that no one can get a new position if you have a notification case on you and before it has been clarified, he says to news. He is also concerned that those who have broken the rules should not just be able to disappear from the streets and into civil society. Therefore, the Labor Party politician believes that employees and conscripts should not receive a service report, a kind of final certificate, until the cases have been fully processed. According to Foshaug, the measures are necessary because of the situation the Armed Forces are now in. – I think the Armed Forces’ reputation has been weakened by what has happened. We have to build trust, says Foshaug. He says that in future people must be able to trust that it is safe to send sons and daughters into the first service. The Armed Forces: Thank you for your input. news has been in contact with the Armed Forces regarding the Labor Party’s request for austerity measures. Spokesperson for the Chief of Defense, Lieutenant-Colonel Vegard Norstad Finberg, says that several processes are already underway to look at changes and improvements around the handling of notification cases. – The Norwegian Defense Forces thanks Nils-Ole Foshaug for his input. The input will, in line with other constructive proposals that the Norwegian Armed Forces receive, be processed and included in the further work, writes Finberg in an e-mail to news. The Norwegian Defense Forces states that the warning institute will be further strengthened and improved in the future. – The purpose of the changes is to ensure a better overview and independent processing of notifications, as well as a more uniform practice of reactions and consequences. This is a work in progress, they write in an email. Trade union: In principle disagrees One of the largest trade unions in the Armed Forces is, on the other hand, skeptical of the proposal to deny promotion to people with an open whistleblowing case. – I fundamentally disagree. The main reason is that it violates to a large extent the legal principle that you must be innocent until proven guilty, says Torbjørn Bongo, head of the Norwegian Officers’ and Specialists’ Association (NOF) to news. The trade union represents employees in the Armed Forces throughout the country, and believes that it is rather towards a too strict line. – Whether the fact that there is only one case pending against you will prevent you from applying for new positions or getting new positions. It will be too strict in my opinion, he says. Torbjørn Bongo is skeptical of having such a general rule as the Labor Party proposes. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news Bongo, who heads the union, believes it is wrong to introduce such a ban as a general rule. Because he believes it will be wrong if a notice always stops all further career paths completely automatically. – At the same time, I understand that in some cases it is the case that those who process promotions or appointments should be aware that there is a notification case, says Bongo. He therefore believes that it can be discussed whether there should be a middle way – where the information about notification cases, for example, becomes known and is taken into account in an overall assessment. The union leader nevertheless believes that this should be a matter for the Armed Forces themselves to resolve with input from the employee organizations and other parties involved. So he warns the politicians against going too far into detailed management. – Here I would like to send a message that I think the politicians are perhaps starting to move a little too far in the area that should be a matter between the parties in the Armed Forces, and the regulations that we are authorized to establish, says Bongo . Chief security ombudsman: – We must be careful with promotions The main security ombudsman for the entire Norwegian Armed Forces believes that the proposals from the Labor Party may be good to look at. – I think there can be good suggestions. In a way, they must be seen as part of the overall work that we have done for a long time, and that we are doing now to deal with this with notification, says chief protection officer Thomas Norman Hansen to news. He believes that trust in the notification channels is important. It is therefore important both how notifications are handled and that all parties in such cases are taken care of. Thomas Norman Hansen is the chief security representative for the entire Norwegian Armed Forces. He has a background in the Army from before. Photo: Ole Sverre Hauglid / The Armed Forces In his role, he has seen several times that it can create an additional burden if someone who is involved in a serious whistle-blowing case is given a new position or promotion while the case is ongoing. – It suddenly makes the matter much worse for those involved, if you have suddenly been promoted in the middle of the matter. Then it quickly becomes a logical gap for the surrounding society that we have to deal with, says Hansen. So he thinks it might be a good idea to consider that part of the proposals for the Labor Party – especially in more serious matters. – I think that we should be careful about promoting, careful about giving people education, courses, putting them in important roles – as long as you are involved in whistle-blowing cases. It’s really about care for all parties, says the chief protection officer. Furthermore, he believes that it is also important to see the bigger picture going forward in the work against objectionable conditions in the Armed Forces, and how to both avoid and handle serious whistle-blowing cases in the future. Therefore, he believes that work must be done on internal culture and prevention before the cases arise. – Cultural work is very important. We have to work long-term, tolerate the fact that this matter takes a long time. Because we know that culture is not something you can change overnight, says Thomas Norman Hansen.
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– No one can be promoted before a notification case is finished – news Troms and Finnmark
