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February: Norwegian soldiers attacked in Afghanistan
Six Norwegian soldiers were injured after a stone- and grenade-throwing mob attacked the Norwegian-led base in Meymaneh in Afghanistan on Tuesday February 7. Two of the soldiers were evacuated.
| | ABLAZE: One of the Norwegian cars were set on fire. |
A mob of 200-300 people broke through the gate and into the ISAF camp in Meymaneh. 33 Norwegians, 16 Finns, three Latvians and one Icelandic mechanic were in the camp at the time.
The forces used warnings shots, tear gas and rubber bullets to defend themselves. In addition, two Dutch F-16s fired warning shots above the mob. A British quick reaction force arrived later with five helicopters and the situation was brought under control.
New soldiers in Afghanistan
New personnel arrived in Meymaneh on Friday 10 February to replace those attacked in the Provincial Reconstruction Team base on Tuesday. The Norwegian fighter jets are present and operational at the same time.
| | OPERATIONAL: The fighter jets from Bodø are now in Afghanistan. |
The fighter jets were supposed to be operational from Sunday, but due to the events in Afghanistan in the past week this process was hastened to support Norwegian personnel.
Needs balance between ambitions and budget
Even though the Norwegian Armed Forces recovered after the budget crack in 2004, the need for economic balance will continue to influence the level of ambition for several years still. Chief of Defence Sverre Diesen can not risk a new deficit.
- As long as the political signals tell us that we have a budget of 30 million NOK a year, and that neither the increased costs of running the military or the increased costs of technology are compensated, we will have to reduce our level of ambition over time, the Chief of Defence says.
Valuable Norwegian winter
- Norway is without doubt the best place in the world for us to do near coast winter operations, says Lieutenant Colonel Peter Taylor. Brits have come to Norway for winter training every year since 1968.
| | SATISFIED: - We like to come here and train, says Lt Col Peter Taylor. |
Lt Col Peter Taylor, assistant chief of staff for the British brigade in Norway, is full of praise.
- We started training here during the cold war to be prepared to help our allies. But after the end of the cold war we still came back. The demanding nature and the cold climate make Norway ideal for winter training, he explains.
- These types of exercises, which we run in Norway, will improve soldiers skills you need wherever you are in the world – in extreme situations there is seldom room for mistakes, he adds.
Marriages suffer from international operations
The divorce rate is highest among those who serve in international operations, according to a survey by the Armed Forces’ health register.
Compared to others in the same age range and education level, military employees experience divorce and separation 80% more often.
- The numbers we have found are similar to what was discovered in surveys in the United States. It is hard to say anything about the reasons behind the results we have found, says Geir Skjeret from the health register.
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