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Discussed preparedness in the North
Five Norwegian ministries met with the county municipalities in Northern Norway and the Sami Parliament to discuss total preparedness.
"The High North is Norway's most important strategic focus area. Never before has it been more important that we have a sustainable, strong and resilient North in the face of ever-increasing geopolitical uncertainty", says State Secretary Sigrid Ina Simonsen at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, in a press release.
On Thursday, April 23, key players met in Bodø, Northern Norway, under the auspices of the Regional High North Forum to discuss issues and expectations for further preparedness work in the region. The overall theme of the meeting was total defense, security and preparedness.
The list of participants included Finnmark, Troms and Nordland county municipalities, the Sami Parliament, the Ministry of Justice and Preparedness, the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.
The meeting was considered an important arena for joint work to support society's resilience and preparedness in Northern Norway.
EU and Norway to strengthen security cooperation in the Arctic
On Tuesday, the EU and Norway held their fifth security and defense dialogue in Oslo, where cooperation in the Arctic was among the topics.
"We agreed to reinforce our preparedness to tackle evolving security risks, including in the Arctic region, and enhance our cooperation on critical sectors needed for civil-military interaction," the parties said in a joint statement.
They also referred to a new framework for dialogue between the EU and Norway on the Arctic, with the first meeting taking place this spring.
The meeting was co-chaired by Charles Fries, Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defence at the European External Action Service, and Eivind Vad Petersson, State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ALSO READ: EU Foreign Policy Chief in Northern Norway – Gathered Input for New Arctic Strategy
Critical fiber cables better secured
A cable that are exposed in the open air makes Norway more vulnerable to sabotage. Now the National Communications Unit (Nkom) and the e-com industry are joining forces to strengthen security around critical infrastructure.
“We need to gain better control over which cables are so important that they must be better protected against damage, sabotage and outages,” says Svein Scheie, security director at Nkom according to a press release.
He believes the work is very important for digital preparedness in Norway.
According to Minister of Digitalization and Public Administration Karianne Tung (Labour), there is great economic and social value in the use of the cables.
"In the government's plan for Norway, we are investing heavily in security in the digital infrastructure. The fiber cables transport great values for Norwegian business to the world. They are the basis for us to live and work throughout the country. That is why it is so important that we secure them better against sabotage, accidents and extreme weather", says Tung.
Arctic military leaders met in Iceland
This year's physical edition of the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable (ASFR) was held in Iceland at the end of March.
The forum – co-chaired by Norway and the US European Command – brings together senior military leaders from the seven allied Arctic states, as well as from the observer states of France, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Also present were representatives of the US Northern Command and NATO JFC Norfolk, which has now been granted permanent observer status in ASFR.
The military leaders exchanged views on security challenges in the Arctic, with a focus on building shared situational awareness and coordinated approaches to deterrence and defense in the region. The NATO Arctic Sentry initiative was highlighted in this context.
They also visited Keflavík Air Station and gained insight into Iceland's defense-related roles and responsibilities. Last year's conference took place in Kirkenes, Northern Norway.
Strengthens Nordic Emergency Preparedness Transport
This week, a joint Nordic transport ministers' meeting was held in Rovaniemi, Finland. The purpose of the meeting was to observe the NATO exercise Cold Response 2026 and discuss a recently developed joint Nordic strategy for preparedness in the transport system.
In 2025, through the Nordic Transport Preparedness Cooperation (NTPC), close cooperation has been established and a joint Nordic strategy has been created on behalf of the Nordic transport ministers.
The strategy is based on the transport plans of the individual Nordic countries, and a set of common priorities is proposed. This concerns the transport corridors that are of greatest importance in a Nordic context, and the measures that NTPC considers to be most critical.
In addition, challenges and needs for follow-up of infrastructure, materials, regulations and transport services must be identified.
In a joint statement, the three transport ministers agreed to prioritize the most important transport routes across national borders. They will also remove traffic obstacles to facilitate the movement of the armed forces, and to ensure good crisis preparedness and the safe delivery of goods.