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35,000 Nato soldiers to conduct exercises in Norway

The Local Norway
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35,000 Nato soldiers to conduct exercises in Norway
A file photo of a Nato exercise in Norway in 2002. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / SCANPIX

A large-scale presence of Nato forces will be felt in Norway when the military alliance conducts major exercises in the country later this year.

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Over one hundred municipalities in the Scandinavian country will experience increased traffic and noise from an extended training exercise carried out by Nato, NRK reports.

The exercises are scheduled to take place in October and November, according to the report.

The Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Oppland and Hedmark counties will be most affected, but the military will be visibly active in much of the country for a period spanning from August to December, the broadcaster writes.

“There will also be aircraft activity from Bodø to Fredrikstad. Troms and Finnmark are the only [counties] that won’t be affected,” Lieutenant Colonel Ivar Moen, chief information officer at the Norwegian armed forces headquarters, said to NRK.

Named Operation Trident Juncture, the exercise will take place primarily in Norway, with smaller exercises in Finland, Iceland and Sweden. A total of 35,000 soldiers will participate.

Nato carries out a major exercise of this kind every three years, with the most recent taking place in Portugal, Spain and Italy in 2015.

Lieutenant Colonel Moen said that the public would be given relevant information on the exercises on an ongoing basis.

“[Information] will be given via the radio and our websites. Additionally, we will work with civilian authorities such as the police and traffic agencies. They will forward information from us,” he told NRK.

“The reason we are giving such early notice is to prepare and motivate the public to welcome our allies. There will be many things to consider for us, so we want to be as well prepared as possible. Then we’ll be able to concentrate on the exercise,” he added.

READ ALSO: Norway's defence spending drops, increasing gap to Nato demands: report

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