Norway ‘will need help from Nato in event of an attack’

Norway will require the help of Nato and is dependent on its assistance if the country is ever invaded, members of the Norwegian Army have said.

Exercise Trident Juncture involves more than 50,000 troops, 65 ships, 10,000 vehicles and 250 aircraft from all 29 member states of the alliance, as well as Finland and Sweden.

Beginning last week, it is taking place in Norway – a country which shares a border with Russia – and comes amid rising tensions between the Kremlin and the alliance.

Based around a fictitious attack on Norway’s sovereignty – resulting in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty being triggered – it is testing Nato’s collective capacity and capability to respond.

Captain Kim Kaspersen, a company commander from the 1st Armoured Infantry Battalion of the Norwegian Army, said if Norway was ever invaded his country would need help from the alliance.

“We are a long country, we have a long coastline and we actually need to help each other,” he said when asked if Norway’s forces could protect their own country.

“A lot of Nato countries have to rely on each other and that is why the exercise is such a good idea – it improves our skills to actually receive foreign help.”

It is a sentiment echoed by Sergeant Tor Olsen, a tank commander who is also with the Norwegian Army’s 1st Armoured Battalion, that is currently positioned near the town of Tynset.

He said Norway is “dependent on Nato” for help if the country was invaded, and that their armed forces are “too small” to tackle a potential issue such as that alone.

With a population of five million, according to the Forsvaret – the Norwegian military – the number of personnel was more than 11,500 in 2017.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of Nato, had previously said Trident Juncture is a “defensive exercise” – taking place in central Norway, the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea – and is “not directed against any country”.

But Russia, which thinks Nato is acting provocatively, said its navy plans to test missiles between November 1-3 in the international waters off western Norway – but is yet to do so.

The pair were speaking as they carried out manoeuvres, and expected to come into mock contact with Danish, and eventually British forces as they took part in what is Nato’s biggest war games since the end of the Cold War.

Asked whether he thinks the Norwegians are worried about Russia potentially testing missiles, Capt Kaspersen said the Norwegians are used to this sort of aggression.

“I don’t feel threatened,” he said.

“If you look at it from the other side, maybe they feel threatened about this exercise, so maybe they just want to show some muscles as well.”

Quizzed on whether people are concerned about the Russian threat in general, he said it “varies in different places in the country”.

“People living close to the border are really good friends with the Russians,” he said.

“We have a really good history of sharing experiences, shopping in each others shops, but further away from the border where people are not used to having the Russian population so close – I think they are more frightened.”