Observations at the County Governor of Nordland during the Trident Juncture 2018 Exercise

During the exercise Trident Juncture 2018 (TRJE18), a researcher from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) was an observer at the County Governor of Nordland (FMNO). The purpose of the observation was to explore challenges tied to resource prioritization and decision-making processes at the regional level in a war-type scenario. The County Governors act as regional coordinators, sector authorities, and controllers of the local municipalities. Especially the coordination role, which is undertaken vertically, horizontally and across different sectors, has been considered by previous studies to be somewhat challenging. In a crisis or a conflict, this challenge is exacerbated, as the County Governors are supposed to coordinate civilian actors and civil support for the Armed Forces, as well as prioritizing resources generally on the regional level. At the same time, they are tasked with collecting and communicating correct information on the regional situation. This was the backdrop of FMNO’s training under the TRJE18 exercise. FMNO found itself inside a militarized zone and therefore had other preconditions than they were used to. Meetings and reporting were held according to set plans. Even though exercises are not exact representations of crises or conflicts, this was a valuable exercise for FMNO. In order to tackle the scenario, FMNO put appropriate resources and personnel into action. The gathering of timely and correct information was of utmost importance. Having a liaison from the Home Guard (HV), especially from the local region, was very useful in this regard. Liaisons from the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency and the police were also useful. FMNO also could rely on the County Preparedness Council (FBR). The reporting routines had to be altered in the course of the exercise to match the real demands on information sharing. It is clear that the County Governors’ broad role and fragmented authority can offer up challenges where events require fast and strong action. Prioritizing resources can be problematic where one lacks authority over the whole set of resources. Meeting this challenge, FMNO and HV were effective partners. This solution can to some degree be described as dependent on specific persons and perhaps not adequately secured in formal frameworks and systems. The FBR was considered a useful and well-functioning resource for FMNO, and FFI argues it could be beneficial to consider how the benefits of such a regional council should be analyzed, strengthened and perhaps developed further. FFI recommends more research on regional societal safety and preparedness, and on the County Governors’ role in the Comprehensive Defence Model.