NATO

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STAVANGER, Norway – A delegation from NATO Joint Warfare Centre (JWC), led by the Commander, Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack, visited various Norwegian military and civilian organizations for a series of official engagements in late January.

 

PetterLindqvist edited thumb1The aim was to gain deeper insight into the Norwegian total defence concept and to share knowledge with its key actors. Ultimately, this insight will be used to enhance the JWC’s “Officer Directing the Exercise” (ODE) role during the planning and execution of NATO’s operational/strategic level military exercises.

The JWC delegation also aimed to explore new opportunities for enhanced cooperation with the key actors in civil protection and emergency preparedness. Rear Admiral Kaack underlined the importance of civil and military cooperation initiatives that are mutually beneficial and support common goals.

The following military facilities and civil society organizations and academia were included in the visit programme: the Norwegian Cyber Defence Force (Cyberforsvaret); the Norwegian Defence University College; the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI); the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO); the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate; the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB) and the Telenor Group, the Norwegian telecommunications company.

“It is my intention to add more value and realism to our training and warfare development,” Rear Admiral Kaack

Following the full-day visit programme at Cyberforsvaret in Lillehammer on Jan. 20, the JWC delegation attended a conference at the Norwegian Defence University College in Oslo on Jan. 21, which was organized around the theme, “Exploring Collaboration of Mutual Benefit”.

The conference included multiple mission briefings from the academia as well as the JWC, NUPI and PRIO. Rear Admiral Kaack had an office call with Commandant of the university college, Major General Henning-A. Frantzen. He also met with Mr Ulf Sverdrup, Director of NUPI, and Mr Henrik Urdal, Director at PRIO.Kaack edited inside

“A constantly changing security environment increases the complexity and scope of training requirements for our Training Audiences,” said Rear Admiral Kaack. “Therefore, it is my intention to add more value and realism to our training and warfare development by reaching out to and partnering with a wider community of experts in different fields of expertise.”

Rear Admiral Kaack underlined that the visit was “a good step forward” since “bringing the collective expertise of NDUC, PRIO and NUPI into the fight will make the JWC and, therefore, NATO better.”

On Jan. 22, the JWC delegation paid a visit to the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate in Oslo. This engagement particularly focused on topics such as energy resilience, energy security and natural hazards.

For their next visit, the JWC delegation went to Horten and the DSB, an organization which reports to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. DSB has provided key support to the JWC-directed exercises since TRIDENT JAVELIN 2017. Topics for discussion included national preparedness and emergency planning, infrastructure challenges, as well as risk management.

Finally, on Jan. 24, the JWC delegation met with the Telenor Group representatives, receiving briefings on new and emerging technologies to include risks and vulnerabilities.

The scheduled visits provided great value to the JWC. “A partnership with all these key stakeholders will be of mutual benefit,” Rear Admiral Kaack said.

In addition to Rear Admiral Kaack, the JWC delegation included Rear Admiral James A. Kirk, JWC Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff; Brigadier General Kurt Pedersen, former Special Advisor to Commander JWC; Navy Capt. Tom Robertsen, JWC Director of Management, and Colonel Darren Denning, JWC Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) Exercises, Training and Innovation Directorate.

Photos from the event

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Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack, Commander JWC. Photo courtesy of Marianne Holmen

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Rear Admiral James Kirk, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, JWC

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Mr Per K. Brekke, Acting Deputy Director General of Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, and Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack, Commander JWC. Photo courtesy of Geir Arne Fredriksen

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Petter Lindqvist edited inside

Civil-military cooperation is the key for security

In a government publication1 foreword (2018), co-written by Mr Frank Bakke-Jensen, the Norwegian Minister of Defence, and Mr Tor Mikkel Wara, the former Norwegian Minister of Justice and Public Security, the importance of civil-military cooperation was highlighted as follows:

“The Government places great emphasis on cooperation, coordination and joint training exercises between all actors in civil protection and emergency preparedness, in order for society to be as well prepared as possible in the face of serious incidents and crises. To achieve cooperation in the best possible way, it is vital that the relevant players in both the civil and military sectors have through knowledge of the applicable systems and mechanisms of civil-military cooperation within the total defence.”

1          Norwegian Ministry of Defence / Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security publication “Support and Cooperation, A Description of the Total Defence in Norway” published in 2018. It is also available at www.regjeringen.no

Further Reading

JWC Partner with Academics: https://forsvaret.no/hogskolene/Sider/JWC-partner-with-academics.aspx