BARDUFOSS A huge submarine silently rises to the surface from the sea. A helicopter hovers above it and lands in a controlled manner on a nearby landing craft.
The large Joint Viking exercise of the military alliance NATO is underway in Northern Norway.
NATO and its allies have increased training in the Arctic region. This has happened for a good reason.
– Russia has quietly accelerated its activities in the region, says the commander of the Norwegian Navy Rune Andersen.
Admiral Andersen watches the exercise from the command deck of the British amphibious assault ship HMS Albion and notes that everything is going as it should. Despite the rush, he manages to give an interview to .
– In recent years, Russia has greatly increased its military power in the region. It has also taken over old bases, Andersen states.
According to Andersen, the Arctic region is strategically very important for both Russia and NATO. It is the home port of the Russian Navy and the nuclear deterrent placed on Russian submarines is located there.
There are also oil and gas fields in the area, and Norway is now Europe’s largest supplier of gas.
British think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies and news agency Reuters of data collected (you move to another service) according to Russia currently has about a third more bases in the Arctic region compared to NATO.
Russia has naturally kept the information about the exact locations of its nuclear weapons a secret, but it regularly tests its nuclear weapons deterrence precisely in the Arctic region.
– NATO and its allies must listen to the signals carefully, understand this development and aggression, says Andersen.
– We have to maintain the balance of the Arctic region, be present and provide a counter-deterrent.
And attendance has increased. In March, Britain opened a NATO military base in northern Norway. The place, known as Camp Viking, serves as a base for the strike force of the British Navy consisting of about a thousand soldiers.
Since Norway does not allow permanent bases of foreign military forces in its territory, Camp Viking would be in operation for about ten years.
Exercises have also been added. During March, NATO and its allies are training in the Joint Viking and Joint Warrior war exercises in northern Norway.
The cooperation must work both on land, at sea and in the air and in cold conditions. It has been almost 30 degrees below freezing at the time of the exercise, so one of its goals – working in the cold – is fulfilled.
Joint Viking and Joint Warrior involve a total of more than 20,000 soldiers from ten different countries. The largest number of foreign troops are from Great Britain, Canada, Norway and the United States. This time, Finland is in the role of an observer.
Russian submarines under attack
In previous years, NATO exercises have not named the enemy so directly. Now it was not unclear what and who we were training against.
Although both NATO and Russia have their eyes on Ukraine at the moment, in the war of aggression started by Russia, according to Andersen, there will come a time when we have to prepare for other things as well.
– We cannot be lulled into the fact that the Russian ground forces have big problems in Ukraine. However, they have specifically prioritized naval and air forces, and they are largely located in the Arctic region.
According to Andersen, Russia has especially developed its submarine fleet.
In July, the Russian Navy received a new submarine Belgorod (you switch to another service). It can carry giant Poseidon torpedoes that can be equipped with nuclear warheads.
The submarine is designed to sneak past coastal defenses by traveling along the seabed.
China is also interested in the Arctic region. Russian warships trained in China (switch to another service) with last in September in Siberia and the Sea of Japan. Norway, on the other hand, raised its preparedness level in October.
NATO countries also practice submarine warfare in the Arctic Ocean.
Joint Warrior includes, among other things, a submarine of the Norwegian Navy, a landing craft of the British Navy and other military fleets.
Finland’s strengths in the Arctic region
According to Admiral Andersen, the joining of Finland and Sweden to NATO would significantly strengthen the defense of the Arctic region.
– Nordic cooperation has already gone well. We have the same mentality, the ability to work in an arctic environment and the ability to understand each other easily. We can operate on land, at sea and in the air, Andersen states.
Andersen emphasizes that Finland is also a strong defender in the Baltic Sea.
If Sweden and Finland join the defense alliance, then seven of the eight Arctic countries will be NATO members. The eighth country is Russia.
You can discuss the topic on Friday 10.3. until 11 p.m.