ANDFJORDEN (Dagbladet): Vice-admiral and commander of the Norwegian navy, Rune Andersen, looks out from the bridge of the large English military supply vessel “HMS Albion” and notes that everything is working as it should.
– It is important that the cooperation with other NATO countries works. During the exercise Joint Viking, it has worked very well. Land, air and sea work together, and we show the Russians strength, says Vice Admiral Rune Andersen to Dagbladet.
STRENGTH: Vice-admiral and head of the navy, Rune Andersen, believes that Norway and NATO are showing strength. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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“Shows ability”
While the Russians have failed in Ukraine, and have not been able to take control of the country, and have been beaten for periods after the invasion last winter, NATO forces in Northern Norway are training and practicing cooperation.
– The exercise Joint Viking shows that we have the ability to act. If we are to be able to defend our country, we must practice regularly. The armed forces – the navy, the air force and the army – are fresh produce, says Andersen.
Speaking to Dagbladet, the head of the navy points out that the security situation in Europe has worsened, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last winter.
IMPORTANT: – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows how important good preparedness is, says Vice Admiral Rune Andersen. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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– The war in Ukraine really shows how important good preparedness and well-trained military forces are for Norway, says Andersen.
Joint Viking
While most of NATO’s 30 member states took part in last year’s large military exercise in northern Norway, “Cold Response”, this year’s exercise is a collaboration between the northern European NATO countries and Great Britain – also called the Joint Expeditionary Force (JET).
Over 20,000 soldiers participate, and the military exercise takes place both in the air, on the ground and at sea.
COMBAT AIRCRAFT: The Norwegian F-35 participates in the exercise Joint Viking, and has control over the airspace. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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JET is a British-led multinational expeditionary force with elements from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force, as well as military contributions from Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.
The JET force must be able to be urgently deployed to defend one of the participating countries at short notice in the event of a crisis.
Peace and security
– Norway and the northern regions are strategically important for our security. That’s why exercises like Joint Viking are absolutely necessary and important, says flag commander Jeanette Morang from the Netherlands.
DON’T TAKE FOR GRANTED: – The Russian invasion and the war in Ukraine show that we cannot take peace and security for granted, says Flag Commander Jeanette Morang, who is head of NATO’s maritime task force. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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Morang is commander of NATO’s maritime task force, and was very satisfied with the exercise, when Dagbladet met her on the English supply ship “HMS Albion”.
– Now we train capacities and how we can defend the northern part of the NATO alliance. A few years ago, we did not believe what we see now. We cannot take peace and security for granted, says flag commander Jeanette Morang.
The Navy
Although Vice-Admiral Rune Andersen believes that the navy has good control over the Norwegian sea area, he admits that Norway is completely dependent on help from the other NATO countries in order to be able to defend Norwegian territory.
– We have good maritime security, but we have utilized our resources to the maximum, says Andersen, who makes no secret of the fact that the navy will need more ships and crews, in order to be able to do the job they are set to do – defend Norway’s sovereignty.
Andersen will now not specify how many new ships and crews the navy needs.
NORWEGIAN CAPACITIES: Norwegian corvettes and submarines are now participating in the exercise Joint Viking. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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After the frigate “Helge Ingstad” crashed, Norway only has four frigates, one patrol vessel, six corvettes, six mine-clearing vessels, six submarines and eight logistics and support vessels.
– We have good cooperation with the coast guard, but are completely dependent on NATO and the USA in particular, to be able to defend our borders, says Vice Admiral Rune Andersen.
