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Week5: Doing their fair share for sport
When the arranging committee of this year’s national winter championships ran into trouble they turned to the Norwegian army for assistance.
BY: The Norwegian Defence Media Centre
A fair share for sport
As the Norwegian national winter championship kicks off in Northern Norway this week the Norwegian Defence is busily working in the background to ensure the success of the competitions.
- We would not have been successful if not for the help of the 6th Division, said the championship’s Chairman, Gjermund Hol.
FINISH LINE: Håvard Høie is but one of many soldiers contributing to the success of the national winter championships. Photo: Per Arne R. Juvang, FMS.
At the stadiums and in the slopes during the game the uniformed soldiers of the Norwegian Army’s 6th Division can be seen working frantically to make the games come together successfully.
The Military Police Battalion, the Signals Battalion and the Engineering Battalion of the 6th Division have been working since the beginning of the year to ensure the success of the national championships, at one stage scheduled exercises were combined with the preparations, leaving the soldiers working around the clock.
The liaison officer between the civilian and military sides of the championships said the experience had been beneficial to the army as well.
- We gain much experience in working with civilian actors within our specialised fields, which is beneficial not only here in Norway, but also for any troops that we decide to deploy abroad, he said.
Finally: New skis
In spite of it being recognised as one of the world’s leading experts on operating in arctic climates there is still room for improvement in the Norwegian Army. After untold years of heavy wooden skis the army has begun to bring in a modern model.
Many Norwegian conscripts look back at winter exercises with grief, remembering the hours spent logging around on heavy wooden skis that were unsuitable for most conditions. This, however, is about to change as a new fibreglass lightweight model begins to emerge.
AT LAST: Lieutenant Colonel Stein Erik Lauglo, commander of the 6th Division’s artillery battalion, proudly shows off the new skis. Photo: Captain Christian Chramer, Info Dep, Army Forces.
The new skis, 3,000 of them all told, are produced and supplied by the Norwegian manufacturer Åsnes based on designs supplied by the Norwegian Defence. The skis are designed to be capable of both crosscountry and downhill skiing.
The ski was designed in 1999 and was considered to be breaking technology at that time. For now, however, there will only be enough skis in circulation to issue them to the heaviest users, mainly special and jaeger forces.
Acquiring new AT-capability
In two years the Norwegian armed forces will be equipped with a new Anti Tank (AT) system, the Javelin, to compliment its current TOW and ERYX weapons.
The new system will close a gap that currently exists between the French-produced short-range Eryx system and the long-range TOW system. The new system will be carried around by soldiers and is expected to have a "fire and forget" capability up to 2,500 meters.
PLEASED: Leader of the project group, Major Tarjei Holtestaul. Photo: Magne Iversen, FMS.
For now the Norwegian Army will acquire 90 units of the new system, which will begin to see service in 2006.
The group set down to evaluate and acquire the system was particularly pleased that they were able to gain such an excellent capability cheaper than what was budgeted. The budget allowed for 1,2 billion NOK, while the order was closed at 700 million NOK.
Taught by the expert
When an expert was needed to offer advice to the troops on how to behave in arctic conditions the Norwegian Army brought in a man who has travelled solo to both the North and South Pole: Børge Ousland.
- The main reason for failures when operating in winter conditions are personal errors and bad planning, explained the Norwegian adventurer during his lecture at Bardufoss this week.
Ousland also explained that although many people considered him to be daring, the key to the success of his journeys was careful planning and meticulous preparation.
- It is essential always to face nature with humility, he said.
FIRST-HAND: The advice offered by Børge Ousland was based on first-hand experiences tackling some of the most difficult climates on earth. Photo: Per Arne R. Juvang, FMS.
Ousland stressed that every soldier needed to be aware of what he was doing, and that passivity on the part of even the lowest in the chain of command could be disastrous to entire units.
- It is important for each and every one of you to be aware of the signs of danger, and to listen closely to what your own bodies are trying to tell you, he said.
The lecture included photographs and parts of movies taken on Ousland’s expeditions, and was finished by a question session where the soldiers eagerly asked questions on everything from frostbite to how to chase away polar bears.
Training in a new millennium
Cardboard targets and "judging" casualties can soon be passé in the Norwegian army as modern technology is put to use to provide more realistic combat experiences to the troops of the Norwegian Army.
OBSERVING: The operations centre has an eye-in-the-sky overview of the action as it takes place. Photo: Magnus Iversen, FMS.
The new Army Tactical Training Centre will soon be operational at Rena, and will sport an impressive array of laser-based training tools for all types of weapons. Everything from handguns to tanks will be equipped with the new tools to ensure maximum realism during exercises.
All participants in the exercises will also be equipped with laser receptors that register hits and the severity of the hits, whether they are kills or simply wounds. All the movements made by the troops and vehicles involved are also transmitted by GPS and registered in an operations centre enabling higher leaders to take in all details of the action taking place.
When it is fully equipped the Tactical Training Centre will sport 835 personnel units, 214 AT simulator units, 168 vehicle units as well as simulators for mortars and mines.
Decorated by the Afghans
For their service in providing security during the recent Loya Jirga summit in Afghanistan, the Norwegian Telemark Task Force was awarded a unit citation by the Afghan President Karzai.
ON BEHALF OF: The company commander of the Telemark Task Force was presented with the medal by the Commander of the Norwegian NCC staff. Photo: Geir Løvhaug, PIO, NCC Staff Afghanistan.
The Loya Jirga was held in December of last year and was a national summit to set down a formal constitution for Afghanistan.
The meeting took place without any major incidents occurring, and the Norwegian troops have been complimented for their dedication and skill.
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