August M
Civilian doctors, volunteers and emergency workers gathered in northern Norway this week to rehearse how the region would respond if war broke out in the Arctic. The exercise in the port city of Narvik forms part of NATO’s large Cold Response drills, which this year place greater emphasis on the role civilians could play in supporting the military during a conflict.
Sweden and Finland joined NATO in 2024 and 2023 respectively following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Their membership has reshaped defence planning across the Nordic region, prompting countries like Norway to prepare more actively for potential regional crises.
In one part of the drill observed by Reuters, volunteers acting as wounded soldiers and civilians were unloaded from a train and assessed by medical teams before being transported by ambulance to nearby hospitals.
Thomas Hultstedt, Narvik’s chief medical officer, attended the exercise to observe how the local health system might respond during a wartime emergency.
“I have never done this type of exercise before,” Hultstedt told Reuters shortly before the train arrived. “It is good in the sense that you prepare yourself for things that are out of the ordinary. This is very different from normal life. This is a war situation.”
Simulated evacuation
The scenario imagined a conflict in Finland in which injured civilians and soldiers would be transported west for treatment.
In the exercise, the train carrying the casualties travelled from Finland through Sweden before arriving at Narvik harbour, where emergency teams organised transport to hospitals across the region.
The broader training scenario envisions up to 1,200 injured people being moved to Narvik over a ten-day period, though the practical drill lasted one day and involved around 100 volunteers, including students acting as the wounded.
Total defence planning
Norway has declared 2026 the year of “total defence”, part of a wider effort to strengthen cooperation between civilian institutions and the armed forces.
Elisabeth Aarsaether, outgoing director of the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, said close coordination between society and the military would be essential in a major crisis.
“It is very important to narrow the gap between military forces and civil society because in a really critical situation – war – there is a need for a lot of resources,” she told Reuters.
Authorities believe many households are increasingly prepared for emergencies, but officials say local governments still need clearer planning and guidance.
Sources: Reuters
