Amid heightened international tensions, including the Middle East war, Nato is carrying out exercises in the Arctic in preparation for future threats, writes Kathryn Samson in Norway.
In the far north of Norway, the picturesque port town of Narvik was 30 days into a fictional war.
Nestled among snow-capped mountains, I watched as dozens of ‘casualties’, played by volunteers and students, arrived by train from a mock conflict in Finland. They were quickly transported in ambulances to nearby hospitals.
Norway wants to emphasise efforts to boost the readiness of civilians to cope with war as Nato actively begins an exercise known as Cold Response.
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Every other year, drills focused on defending the alliance in the high north, where Norway shares a border with Russia, get underway.
The exercise has now become part of Arctic Sentry, the Nato mission to strengthen its presence in the region.
It was launched to diffuse tensions with President Trump after his bid to take over Greenland.
Heightened international tensions
Approximately 32,000 troops from 14 Nato member states are taking part this year, across northern Norway and Finland.
Against a backdrop of heightened international tensions, including the war in the Middle East, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to Norway today to observe Exercise Cold Response, alongside his Norwegian counterpart and the chancellor of Germany.
Ahead of the visit, Mark Carney unveiled a plan to boost Canada’s defence in the Arctic region as it tries to decrease its reliance on the United States. President Trump’s tariffs and comments about annexing Canada have strained ties.
Ahead of this year’s Cold Response exercise, the US military withdrew one squadron of F-35 fighter jets. A spokesperson would not confirm whether the war in the Middle East was behind that decision.
If the Iran conflict escalates, Nato forces, and political attention, could shift toward the Middle East, meaning fewer resources focused on Arctic patrols.
Respond to threats
At a training exercise in Setermoen, I asked the Commander of the Norwegian army, Major General Lars Lervik, if he was concerned about what that would mean for the high north.
“I’m not that concerned,” he replied, “I think we need to prove that these kinds of exercises, these kinds of efforts, are worth the time for all the soldiers coming in here.
“So I’m very focused on making sure that they go home better trained and better prepared than when they came here, and also that we can demonstrate that we’re able to work together both digitally, but also building a trust between commanders and soldiers. That is essential.”
Alliance officials stress Nato’s strategy is built around what they call a 360 degree approach to security, ensuring they can respond to threats from any direction.
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