Armed forces kicks off readiness exercise in Northern Norway
1400 army- and home guard soldiers participate in a co-exercise with the air force in Troms and western Finnmark.
The alarm was triggered at 4 am night to Monday at Rena military camp in southern Norway and soldiers from the Telemark battalion were flying north to Alta where local home guard personnel already were securing the airport, TV2 reports.
The Northern Brigade, which is the only brigade of the Norwegian Army, mobilized several battalions to Porsangermoen in Finnmark.
Exercise Bifrost, the Home Guard’s largest drill this year in the north, is conducted simultaneously in the period until October 21, the Armed Forces informs. Securing important infrastructure from Troms and northbound is the Home Guard’s main focus.
Also the Coast Guard and Air Forces are participating. The exercise kicks off a few days after a joint Finnish-Swedish drill ended. Some 4,500 troops and 50 aircraft participated in the exercise where the “Blues” was defending against the attacking “Reds,” the latter based in the northern cities of Rovaniemi, Oulu and Luleå, Finnish broadcaster YLE informed.
This week, Russian strategic missile forces arrange a major drill involving five submarines, 12,000 troops and 213 missile launchers, the Barents Observer reported on Monday.
