Nordic Response took place from 3 to 14 March 2024, and was held in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as in associated airspace and sea areas.
Over 20,000 soldiers from 13 countries took part in the exercise. Of these, approximately 10,000 trained on land, and have been the most visible during the exercise. The participants came from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany and the USA.
also read
The armed forces have left behind large amounts of rubbish in the national park in Finnmark
A total of 131 injuries have been reported in Norway so far.
– I think it is a normal amount. When people have now settled down a bit, and the snow starts to disappear, there will probably be more. At the same time, when I think about how big the exercise was, it’s probably a little smaller than normal, says Marianne Rygh Bø, environmental protection officer in the Norwegian Armed Forces.
– In the area from Alta to Kautokeino, not many people live. So we practiced in an area with few people, but all the more reindeer.
Reindeer
Most damage has been reported to material and roads and livestock. Bø says that new reports of damage are still coming in.
So far, 28 injuries to livestock and wild animals have been reported.
– It’s only reindeer. Among other things, we had an incident with a helicopter that flew incorrectly, because the pilot misunderstood where they could fly. So several of the cases concern an incident. There are cases where reindeer have been scattered, or have been mixed together.
also read
Do not reach the goal without food requirements
She says that agreements were made with the reindeer owners in advance, so that they had an overview of where the reindeer stayed.
In addition to the damage to reindeer, damage to fish has also been reported. This should be a case of a vehicle driving too close to a breeding facility and cutting the line.
also read
Several criticize the Defense Plan
Land owners register in advance
So far, eight vehicle injuries have been reported.
– There is a lot of rubble, because we asked for extra litter before the exercise. So there are cars that have received a rose in the glass, or that are completely broken.
However, the damage reported to cultivated land comes with caveats. This is where possible damage is reported in areas where military vehicles have been driven.
– Landowners report places where there may be damage, and then we have to wait until the snow disappears before we see if it actually is. We want landowners to speak up during the exercise, so that we can follow them up when the snow starts to disappear. So these are cases where it is not certain that there will be damage.
Five damages to sports facilities may sound dramatic, but here we are most likely talking about ski tracks that have been destroyed.
