– I guess we are about as vulnerable as we can be, because we are too little prepared. That’s according to assistant state administrator in Troms and Finnmark, Bård Pedersen. He is responsible for civil preparedness in the county. Pedersen believes that the total defense in Norway has major weaknesses in the event of an outbreak of war because the defense and civil society do not talk well enough together and practice too little. He believes that there is a lack of a comprehensive plan for total defence. – The armed forces have a plan that involves efforts from civil society. But I don’t think that’s appropriate. Pedersen believes that civil society does not understand how important its role will be in a major crisis. Need to get an overview Total defense is a common term for the military defense and civil preparedness in Norway. The director of emergency preparedness in Troms and Finnmark, Ronny Schjelderup, explains that the defense will depend on civilian resources such as buses, planes and hospitals in a crisis. He also says that access to food and fuel for the civilian population may be limited. – We don’t know the extent of it now, so we have to get that overview. It will form the basis for what we will plan for on the civilian side, says Schjelderup. Preparedness director Ronny Schjelderup believes it is important to get an overview of what the defense will need in a crisis situation so that you can plan from the civilian side. Photo: Dan Henrik Klausen/Arnstein Jensen / news – The total defense works well In an email to news, Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) says that he believes that the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine show that the total defense in Norway works well. – At the same time, there are clearly challenges that need to be worked on, and further developing the total defense is a continuous effort. Gram is pleased that civil-military cooperation is a topic that the Defense Commission and the Emergency Preparedness Commission are following up on. – The commissions’ work will be an important input to the further development of total defence. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) believes that Norway’s overall defense is working well. Photo: David Skovly / news Digital warning system During a press conference on Thursday, the government stated that Norway has strengthened national preparedness, especially the cooperation between the armed forces and the police. – We have good plans both on the military and civilian side. The government works week by week to ensure that those plans are well established and understood by those who have responsibility and are affected, said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) during the press conference. Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) reported that work is also being done to develop a digital notification system. The goal is for it to be in place this year. – This means that we can reach everyone who has a mobile phone in Norway in a few seconds. It will be very important to quickly reach the population with the right information, says Mehl.
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The State Administrator sounds the alarm about major deficiencies in Norway’s total defense – news Troms and Finnmark
