NATO Secretary General visits Cold Response
On Friday 25 March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with troops from NATO and partner nations at Bardufoss Air Base, Norway.
More than 30,000 soldiers from 27 allied and partner nations are currently in Norway for conducting winter training at exercise Cold Response 2022. The exercise strengthens the Alliance’s ability to deploy quickly, operate together and to defend its members.
“Cold Response shows NATO unity and strength in action”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said to the present troops and media in northern Norway.
Unity and strength
Stoltenberg came straight from Thursday’s NATO Summit in Brussels, to visit the exercise in Norway. At Bardufoss, he met with soldiers from several of the participating nations. During his meet, he emphasised that Cold Response is a very important exercise:
“It demonstrates how NATO allies and partners like Finland and Sweden can work together, to protect an ally and ensure reinforcements when needed”.
The Secretary General underlined that this is even more important today, in the light of the war in Ukraine:
“We need to demonstrate the unity, the strength of our Alliance. That we are ready to protect and defend all allies, and this exercise demonstrates just that.”
Jens Stoltenberg became NATO Secretary General in October 2014 and has been the top civilian chief of the Alliance since. On Thursday 24 March, Stoltenberg confirmed that he will stay in his position as Secretary General for an additional year, until October 2023.
High North ‘strategically important’
Cold Response 2022 takes place in southern, central and northern Norway, the northern flank of NATO. Stoltenberg says this is a strategically important region:
“The High North matters for the whole Alliance. It is the link between North America and Europe, and we must protect that link,” Stoltenberg said, adding that Cold Response is one example of how NATO shows increased presence in the High North Region.
He also expressed his condolences for the four U.S. Marines who died in the Osprey accident in Beiarn, Norway last Friday.
“It is a terrible loss for family member, their loved ones, and for all service men and women who lost their fellow soldiers”, Stoltenberg said.
