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TRIDENT JUNCTURE 2018 - Interview with an Environment Protection Cell officer during Trident Juncture 18

Allied Joint Force Command Naples

Nov. 4, 2018 | 5:41

During NATO Exercise Trident Juncture 2018, the Environmental Protection Cell (EPC) responds to all investigations of possible damage or mishap in the theatre of operations.

Around 50,000 participants, 250 aircraft, 65 ships and up to 10,000 vehicles from more than 30 nations.

Video by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher, NATO

Shot-list
Major Kjetil Hanssen
Finnmark Home Guard Distract 17, Exercise Trident Juncture, Supervisor of Damages
SOUNDBITE (English)
00:00:09:59
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Question 1: What is the role of the Environmental Protection Cell/Officer during TRJE18?
“Well we have to be aware that we are in the middle of a civilian society, private property, protected areas, water sources. In fact, we have a lot of the parts of the civil society, we have to be aware of before and when we conduct exercises. Norway is one of the few countries in the western part of the world where we have a requisition law who gives us the right to use private property for military purposes and we can in fact go with or without vehicles wherever we want to, but we have to pay the landowner afterwards. To keep the possibility to use the whole country for military exercises it’s important to keep the good relation to the civilians and to the politicians because if we keep the good relation, then we’ll keep the requisition law to conduct training in the future. If we don’t behave as expected among the civilians then within a couple of years I am quite sure they will raise the problem against the politicians, then at a certain stage our possibility will be limited or removed.”
00:01:54:33
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Question 2: Why is Environmental Protection (EPC) important?
“Environmental protection is important because in the same theatre we have a military exercise going on and we have a civilian society who is supposed to live their daily life without being influenced by the exercise. To have environmental protection officers means to have someone who is responsible to be the lubricant or oil between the two different parts of the daily situation, the military part and the civilian part, and to avoid conflicts, reduce the number of complaints and try and keep the good relation between the military units and the civilian society.”
00:02:54:17
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Question 3: What is the EPC doing to prevent and mitigate environmental damage?
“From our side this exercise started two years ago with dialogue in the civilian society, the different parts of it, and going through the exercise area and provide units with maps where we have marked protected areas, water sources and all sensitive areas within the exercise area. Then the next step
will be to provide the units with environmental protection officers and make them ready to be a good advisor for the commander of the different units. Again, to be sure that we could leave this exercise area and feel that the local population really wants us back again instead of just saying never, never
again.”
00:04:20:03
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Question 4: What are the steps or the process once a report comes in from the field?
“You can say that each damage case is unique, but there are always at least two parts involved; the local landowner against the military unit. When we get a complaint in from a farmer the first thing we’ll do is to meet him and get an overview of what’s actually happened. Are there any chances the damage will increase to something bigger? Do we have to do something immediately to avoid it from increasing? How does he feel about the situation? Can we convince him that we are going to clean up this mess and can we work out an agreement, how to sort this out. The best solution will always be that we can work out an agreement just after the exercise. Pay him the right cost for the damage and finish the case.”
# ENDS 00:05:46:44#