In 2026, Norway is making a concerted effort to strengthen total defence. The serious security policy situation provides the backdrop, and the overall goal is to improve Norway's ability to prevent and manage security policy crises and war.
Total defence refers to the mutual support and cooperation between the defence sector and civil society across the entire spectrum of incidents, whether in peace, crisis or war. It is about utilising combined military and civilian resources to ensure the nation's security.
“In a security policy crisis or war, civil society’s principal task is to ensure that the wheels keep turning. Society must be able to function even when under pressure," says Ingvild Klaveness, head of security at Havtil.
"For the business sector – including the companies in the petroleum industry – this means that they must be able to maintain supplies, manage the loss of resources, withstand long-term disruptions and contribute to society's overall resilience. In this way, the enterprises also contribute to the defence capability.”
Strengthening society’s resilience
“If we are prepared for war, we are also prepared for other types of crises. It's about acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, planning, practising drills, and having the ability to handle situations as needed," says Havtil director Sigve Knudsen.
Read more: If the unthinkable should happen
Expectations of the business sector are twofold. The first and major element centres around self-preparedness and applies to everyone. The second applies to businesses designated by the authorities as critical for supply, transport, energy, health, communications or direct military support. These are followed up through separate agreements, plans and collaborative frameworks.
Emergency preparedness principles apply
Knowledge of principles and structures for national preparedness and crisis management is crucial. Klaveness emphasizes that the preparedness principles of responsibility, equality, proximity and cooperation also apply in a total defence context, even though security policy crises and war will entail more overarching management and coordination from a central government level.
- The principle of responsibility means that the organisation responsible for a professional area in a normal situation is also responsible for the necessary preparedness preparations and the handling of extraordinary incidents within that area.
- The principle of equality means that during crises, the organisation should in principle be as similar as possible to the organisation under normal circumstances.
- The principle of proximity means that crises must be handled at the lowest possible organisational level.
- The principle of cooperation means that government authorities, businesses and agencies have an independent responsibility to ensure optimum cooperation with relevant actors and agencies in their work on prevention, emergency preparedness and crisis management.
Self-preparedness
The authorities' message to the Norwegian nation has been that every individual should practise self-preparedness for one week, so that they can fend for themselves over a period if important societal functions are affected.
Klaveness emphasizes that the message and expectation around self-preparedness is not limited to individuals. It also applies to companies and authorities.
“The authorities cannot always be there for the companies. Resources may be exhausted quickly, and in a deteriorating security policy situation, the authorities will have less capacity to assist. Companies can therefore not count on other’s resources unless it has been clarified that these resources are available," says Klaveness, who points out that self-preparedness is also largely about having a plan for continuity.
The business sector’s responsibility
The companies' most significant contribution in crisis or war is to ensure normality as far as possible. This means that society's resources can be prioritised where they are needed most.
Read more about the business sector's responsibility and sound advice for strengthening self-preparedness here: Before the crisis hits
Business continuity planning
Continuity can be defined as ensuring the sustained production and supply of goods and services despite disruptions and undesirable events. Continuity planning is a keystone for businesses which need to function when society is under pressure.
The purpose of a business continuity plan is largely to deal with the situation that arises once an incident has occurred. Back-up solutions can help reduce the duration of an incident and thus help to minimise consequences.
Klaveness points to several questions the companies need to ask:
“What is the consequence of a disruption? Who depends on us? And what or who do we depend on?
It is not enough just about reparations. The companies also need to consider mitigation and redundancy," she explains.
People must be included in the plans
Business continuity planning is also about people, and Klaveness encourages companies to think through which functions are essential to maintaining the business, and whether those carrying out the functions will be available in a crisis situation.
“Will we have the people we need to maintain operations? Employees may have a duty to serve in the Civil Defence, military service in the Armed Forces, a duty to work in the civilian sector, care responsibilities or have care needs themselves. In the petroleum industry, the companies must also consider whether foreign employees will continue to work in a crisis.
There is no single register which the employer can check to determine whether employees have already been appointed or summoned. The companies must use their own needs as a starting point and assess which functions they need.”
National guidelines
The national security strategy and the white paper on total preparedness provide important guidelines for the work in the total defence year 2026.
The white paper on total preparedness sets the direction for a restructuring of the civilian section of total defence and for civilian resilience.
The national security strategy identifies three main priorities:
- strengthening the defence capability
- making society more resilient
- strengthening financial security
National security strategy and the white paper on total preparedness
The national security strategy and the white paper on total preparedness (report no. 9 to the Storting (2024–2025) were presented in 2025. Both documents are of direct relevance to Havtil and the businesses which belong to the agency's area of responsibility and contain important guidelines for the work on total defence.
The goal of the white paper on total preparedness is to ensure that civil society is prepared for crisis and war and to develop a society that supports military efforts and resists complex threats.
The national security strategy builds on this foundation. The strategy provides a comprehensive framework for Norway’s safeguarding of national security interests and outlines three main strategic priorities for how we can strengthen our defence capability, make society more resilient and strengthen economic security.
Read more here If the unthinkable should happen
For the petroleum industry, these national guidelines must be translated into practical work.
Klaveness points out that the companies must know and understand their place, familiarize themselves with the expectations set and address their responsibilities.
"They must understand the risk, implement concrete measures to protect the most valuable assets, have preparedness in place to manage and restore the business, and establish redundancy and backup procedures," says Klaveness.
Security seminar: The total defence year 2026 was the frame for this year's security seminar, held by Havtil on 17 June. The aim of the event was to share information, knowledge and experiences on national preparedness and crisis management. Topics covered included the white paper on total preparedness, the national security strategy, what is the total defence year, and what does this mean for our sector?