Swedish and Norwegian Home Guard units have conducted a joint exercise focused on cross-border cooperation and support for allied forces. Nearly 3,000 people from around 40 military and civilian organisations took part in Exercise Grenskraft 26.
According to the Swedish Armed Forces, this was the first time since Sweden's NATO membership that civilian elements of the total defence system took part in the exercise on both sides of the border.
The exercise was based on a scenario in which a security policy crisis risked escalating into a state of heightened readiness. The military component focused, among other things, on supporting major logistics operations in which allied units arrive in Norway and are then transported through Sweden.
"One of the most important tasks we carry out, together with Norway among others, is that we are jointly responsible for NATO's force generation if we need more units in northern Europe," says Colonel Stefan Smedman, commander of the Western Military Region, to the Swedish Armed Forces.
The Swedish 19th Home Guard Battalion simultaneously conducted the war unit exercise Västgräns 26. The unit trained, among other things, on handling drone threats, using sensors and coordinating operations with police, municipalities and other authorities.
Grenskraft 26 comprised two major exercise segments on 20 and 21 October, on the Norwegian and Swedish sides of the border respectively. Part of the work involved identifying legal and practical obstacles to joint operations, as well as developing the protection of operations and infrastructure in NATO's rear area.
According to the Swedish Armed Forces, the lessons learned will be used to further develop cooperation between Swedish and Norwegian military units and civilian authorities.