An Arctic Great Game as NATO allies and Russia face off in far north adn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from adn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The war in Ukraine has put the frostbitten borderlands between Norway and Russia on heightened alert, while increasing the geostrategic importance of the Arctic.
NATO exercise on Corona virus alert
January 11, 2021
At a time when the Norwegian government is strongly urging against all travel, around 3,000 soldiers from several NATO countries are arriving in Northern Norway this month to take part in annual winter military exercises. A total of 45 had tested positive as of Sunday, but Norway’s defense minister insists there’s no cause for alarm.
Norwegian Army medical personnel are testing all NATO troops arriving in Northern Norway this month for annual winter exercises. PHOTO: Forsvaret/Øyvind Baardsen
“The defense department’s most important assignment during a pandemic is to remain operative and carry out their assignments,” Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen said on national radio Sunday. He defended the NATO exercise on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) as the military itself was confirming the extent of Corona infection.