Focus on civilian readiness
Norway has declared 2026 the year of “total defence”, which puts emphasis on boosting the readiness of civilians, businesses and public institutions to cope with war and other catastrophes, the latest move by a Nordic nation to boost civilian preparedness.
“We want our military to do its job of defending the country. To do that, we are completely reliant on most aspects of society functioning as normal,” Major-General Lars Lervik, head of the Norwegian Army, told Reuters.
“This is also an opportunity to rehearse specifically where civilians can give direct support to the military effort, for instance with the health service treating a higher number of injured soldiers, Norwegian or from allied forces, than usual.”
On Thursday, the military will run a scenario testing the ability of hospitals in northern Norway to treat a high number of casualties being transported from an imaginary frontline in Finland.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Editing by Kevin Buckland)
