Norway learns lessons of war in Ukraine — Chief of Defense Kristoffersen
General Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s Chief of Defense, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“There are so many lessons learned from Ukraine, from the very tactical level to the strategic level. So, if I should take three or four of them, the first is the need to have a shared intelligence picture. We need to invest more in our surveillance and in our shared picture across nations in Europe to make sure that we have the same understanding of Russia,” the general noted.
He added that during Russia’s military buildup in the autumn of 2021, many European countries received relevant information but interpreted its meaning differently.
“So Norway increased its readiness in December 2021 because we understood that we needed to do something if there was a Russian attack on Ukraine again. So to build on that national intelligence, to make sure that we have enough resources to have a good picture of the situation, it’s very important that we need to do it together with other European and NATO allies,” Kristoffersen said.
Another lesson concerns the ability to mobilize society and defence forces.
“That's something that really has impressed me in the war in Ukraine – it’s Ukraine's ability to not only mobilize their defense forces, but also the whole society. Norway used to have that concept during the Cold War. We still have it, but we need to refine it for the future, based on the lessons learned from Ukraine. Because it's not only about military resilience, it's also about industrial resilience. It's about the ability to regenerate both equipment and personnel,” the general said.
Another valuable lesson is the use of unmanned or autonomous systems.
“We need to invest more in more unmanned systems, like drones. And right now, the Ukrainian industry is actually leading in this task, so we need to learn from the Ukrainian industry the ability to innovate and develop new equipment based on the needs of the front line,” the Commander-in-Chief added.
He also highlighted lessons related to the digitalization of battlefield management: “How you make sure that you connect the sensors, effectors, decision-makers together, so we can speed up the process of making decisions and have an effect on the battlefield. So we're going through a huge digital transformation in Norway over the next years, and we’re basing that transformation on lessons learned from Ukraine.”
As reported, Norway’s Chief of Defence, Eirik Kristoffersen, stated that Norwegian instructors will expand the training of Ukrainian troops on the territory of Poland, closer to the Ukrainian border.
Photo: Facebook/Eirik Kristoffersen
