The King on manoeuvres

The objective of the exercise is to give soldiers from a variety of countries an opportunity to train together under challenging winter conditions to ensure that Norway and its partner countries are well prepared in the event of a crisis situation.

Over the past two days, King Harald has seen first-hand how the soldiers carry out their assignments during the exercise. The King has also been briefed on upcoming activities under the exercise.

Fatal accident

Shortly before the King’s arrival, a tragic accident occurred near the town of Snåsa in which an armoured vehicle collided with a civilian passenger vehicle, killing the civilian driver. The exercise will continue as planned but has been halted in the area involved in the accident until the site has been thoroughly investigated, reports the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces.

King Harald expressed his condolences in a meeting with local media. “Our thoughts are with those who have lost a loved one,” said the King.

15 000 participating

The more than 15 000 military participants taking part in the exercise have come from several countries: Norway, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the US, Germany, Spain and the UK. “Cold Response” encompasses naval, army, air force and special forces personnel, all of whom receive valuable training in coordinating duties across languages and nationalities.