Complex, yet flexible

The Norwegian total defence is the sum of the country's civilian and military resources working together in times of peace, crisis and conflict. Havtil is part of the total defence, and we work closely with the Armed Forces.

“A war requires us all to stand together and help each other. That is the crux of the matter,” says lieutenant colonel Lars Tore Høiem-Storås, head of the section responsible for civilian, military and international cooperation at the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (FOH).  

In simplified terms, the role of the total defence can be divided into two parts - one in the event of a crisis and one in the event of war: 

In a crisis, such as a storm, in rescue operations or in response to incidents caused by floods or landslides, civilians can ask the Armed Forces for support and assistance. In a war situation, the Armed Forces will ask various key groups within society for assistance. 

"On a daily basis, we in the Armed Forces work most closely with government bodies. The fact that we have established this cooperation over time, throughout the pandemic and especially since February 2022, also makes us better equipped to tackle what we can expect in war,” says Høiem-Storås. 

“We know each other well and have established good relationships with each other, which makes it easy to pick up the phone and call each other if needed.”

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According to Høiem-Storås, the FOH is in close dialogue with civilian liaisons from a total of 20 directorates, agencies and professional authorities - including Havtil. 

"These liaisons are motivated, professionally skilled and a very important resource for our headquarters. The liaisons are placed among the various disciplines at FOH to safeguard the principle of responsibility and ensure that our plans and operations are based on realistic assumptions.” 

Anthoni Larsen is Havtil's contact person for FOH. He emphasizes the importance of agreeing on what should happen and where the interfaces lie between the various bodies. 

“Our society is specialized, and the sector principles are strong. To make cooperation within the total defence work well, we are dependent on good processes, meeting frequently and being informed about each other's tasks and roles," says Larsen. 

In a complex scenario, it is important to know who does what in a war situation. This is why frequent practice drills are held. The relevant parties from various levels meet to carry out drill procedures, discuss and coordinate.  

“Our job is to help the Armed Forces do their job as relevant to our sector. This applies not only to incident management, but also to the planning work," explains Havtil's contact person for the FOH.

Quality assurance

Høiem-Storås also emphasises the importance of this work. 
“The Armed Forces are traditionally skilled at coordinating and creating a common thread between us and various sectors and agencies. But we need to quality assure our processes from a civilian perspective in order to make realistic judgements about our planned activities," the lieutenant colonel points out.  

He indicates that collaboration has developed and improved steadily due to the events we have experienced over the past five years, but emphasizes: 

“A war will make huge demands on us. It will be intense. We will be working under pressure, in all likelihood with a lack of resources and with deactivated communications systems. This is why we do as much as we can to coordinate and finalise plans in peacetime, so that we are as well prepared as possible for what we may encounter. This also includes finding alternative methods of communicating and operating together in war,” says Høiem-Storås.

“When war strikes, the most important job is to do what you do in peacetime - namely to maintain the socially critical functions.” 

Protecting the nation and its people

The Norwegian total defence concept was developed during the period following World War II. In its recommendation, the Defence Commission of 1946 emphasised the significance of strengthening the Armed Forces through a total defence concept. The defence of Norway was to be based on both a military defence and a broad civilian preparedness. The objective was, and still is, both to protect Norway's territory, independence and national values, and to protect the civilian population. 

The Total Defence Concept revolves around mutual support and cooperation between the Norwegian Armed Forces and civilian society on prevention, contingency planning, crisis management and consequence management across the entire crisis spectrum from peace via security policy crisis to armed conflict. 

In principle, the term civil-military cooperation encompasses all civil-military cooperation at all levels and spans a broad spectrum involving many different parties. In some cases, the Armed Forces support civilian activities, while in other situations the Armed Forces are supported by civilian resources.

(Sources: NOU 2023: 17. The situation is serious. Equipped for an uncertain future and White Paper No. 9 (2024–2025) to the Storting. Prepared for crises and war) 

- Actively disseminating information

"In light of the security policy situation, it is necessary to maintain a sufficiently high level of security for reasons of national security. This also applies to activities on the Norwegian continental shelf. The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority shall, in coordination with other relevant authorities, actively convey relevant information to licensees, which can contribute to updated risk assessments in the industry." 

(From the Ministry of Energy's letter of allocation to Havtil for 2025)