Bordering to Russia: How Norwegian military recruits feel about the service following the war in Ukraine
“I think civilians are a lot more worried than us in the service.”
Every day Ellen Aamodt, 20, gets out of bed and puts on her military uniform to guard the mediaeval fortress Akershus Festning, in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. She is six months into her one-year compulsory training.
Aamodt is just one of thousands Norwegian teenagers who by law, attend military training the year they turn 19. This compulsory training has been extended, since a 2013 parliamentary agreement, to include women with the aim to improve gender imbalance within its armed forces. This military responsibility has become all the more real following the Russian invasion of Ukraine three days ago. But why should this invasion particularly worry Norwegians?
Russia may not be what most people associate with Norway, the land of fjords, Vikings, cabins and oil production. But on its northern fringes, under the aurora borealis, the country has strong Russian ties. In fact, the city of Kirkenes, just 15 km from Norway’s border with Russia, has a 10 per cent Russian population. This unique positing means there are deep-rooted political and economic ties as well as a history of regional cooperation. Not only that, Norway is also one of few NATO states bordering Russia.
As a country with the world’s second-longest coastline and a land area of 385,207 square kilometres, there are at all times ongoing military exercises. Within the army, there are 70.000 working members, 50.000 of them being in ‘førstegangstjeneste’ (Norwegian for first-time service) or the recruit school of the Norwegian Armed Forces. This is a one-year military service 18-year-olds undergo to gain basic military training spanning from air, water and land army branches.
Although this conscription is an ordinary part of teens’ lives, how have their attitudes towards recruit schools changed since the Russian invasion? What are the people currently undergoing their training or those soon starting feeling about the escalating conflict?
‘It’s time to shift your mindset’
It is important to remember that those in recruit school will primarily guard and be in charge of camp security. In other words, they will not be on the front line and will further receive vital help from more experienced and qualified soldiers. Regardless of the threat, for Ellen Aamodt, and fellow trainees there, said there is little that can happen for them to lose motivation or want to leave or start their service despite the unpredictable times.
Aamodt has been a guard at Akershus fortress in Oslo since August 2021. She explains that although business is predominantly as usual, their commander encourages them to shift their mindset. “This is to prepare yourself mentally if something were to happen,” she says. However, the invasion is a hot topic of conversation in her barracks. “It’s definitely something we talk a lot about. When we’re off duty most of us watch or read the news to keep up to date,” she says. Within the last couple days, she has noticed more people becoming more uneasy than usual. “I do feel like a lot of people are anxious but we’re all very good at keeping the momentum going and finding the fun things to do and up until now it’s all going fine.”
She explains that her biggest worry at the moment is how vital ‘learning by doing’ is to her training. The soldiers learn from more experienced contingents who will soon be discharged from service. This means that if the war escalates within the next few weeks, the new group is left to defend before they welcome a new contingent. In relation to this, she explains her reluctance and how she is nervous about the amount of responsibility that they will have in spite of their limited experience. “It would definitely take a toll I think,” she says. Another thought she finds uncomfortable is, of course, how everything is aggressive in terms of having to use weapons. “If you’re a police officer for instance you’re taught to take a step back, evaluate and understand the situation before acting but if you [as a soldier] feel like there’s a threat you should act immediately.”
Comfort during turbulent times
Ine Sahl Kristoffersen, 21, a guard commander in Bardufoss Air Station (the second closest base to Russia) says her troop commander has, for the past of couple weeks, received phone calls from worried parents. She recognises this concern as she says “my own mother is also worried.” However, the air station’s main concern, should something happen, is to protect and defend air stations nationwide and general ground support for air weapons. “We’ll never be part of the fight on what most people consider the front line. I think some people are worried about the future at the moment, but I don’t think there’s reason to worry as of now.”
This sense of comfort during turbulent times is driven by an open conversation throughout the force. Aamodt feels supported by senior officers in particular. “The commanders are extremely welcoming and always stress the importance of talking to them when we find things scary or about any worries we may have,” she says. Due to the difficulty to predict how the war will go, it is an eerie period for those starting their recruitment.
Siri Nuland, 19, will begin her training in Rena, (Norway’s newest as well as one of the biggest within Nordic countries) in January 2023. Although nerves are bound to arise, she has not lost motivation as a result of the invasion. “I think I can’t let it get to me until I probably know whether it will affect me,” she says. An important factor for this is her lifelong dream of doing a higher-level education while in service.
The Norwegian Defence University College offers free education at bachelor’s and master’s level in fields such as leadership, joint operations, intelligence, defence security policy as well as sea, air and military power. This is a unique opportunity so “it will take a lot to stop my motivation,” she explains. The excitement and continued motivation are also shadowed by the brutal reality of war. “If it were to happen I feel like it’s (protecting her native land) my duty,” she says proudly.
This sentiment of wanting to protect their country is shared amongst the recruits. Aamodt explains that a colleague in training has, after the invasion, decided to apply to Telemark Battalion due to a heightened sense of duty to help the country.
Telemark Battalion is a mechanised infantry (units equipped with armoured personnel) battalion based in Rena in South Norway. Kristoffersen says that, in general, the invasion has not had a huge impact on her or her colleagues, but people definitely have no intention to quit despite living close to the border. Quite the opposite: “I have met a lot of people who would like to continue in the military,” she says
It is clear that, despite mixed feelings within the branches it is evident that there is an overarching feeling of comfort and security. The recruits are prepared and ready for whatever may happen next. Towards the end of the interview, Kristoffersen jokingly says that “civilians are a lot more worried than us in the service.” This was highlighted by Aamodt who confidently admits that “I’m definitely not afraid of being in the military and I feel very safe, as much as that’s possible under the current circumstances.”
