BREAKING: Norway cancels #NATO exercise Cold Response due to #coronavirus
“We would rather preserve our army’s combat capabilities so we can support society in the turbulent period to come.”
As of March 10, there were 192 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Norway, according to World Health Organization data.
The exercise had initially been expected to gather troops from a dozen NATO or partner countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Belgium and Sweden, from March 12-18.
Organized by Norway in the far north, it was aimed at testing multinational capabilities in a high-intensity combat scenario in demanding winter conditions. The Norwegian army wanted to “avoid being a burden on the civilian healthcare system,” which had been expected to provide some personnel for the exercise, Jakobsen said.
Last week, the Norwegian army closed a military base in northern Norway after a soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus.
That is the only case detected in the Norwegian armed forces to date, but 240 soldiers are still in quarantine as a result, Jakobsen said.
On Saturday, Finland announced it would not be sending the 400 troops initially due to take part, because of the epidemic.
Last week NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would press ahead with large-scale military exercises, including Defender Europe 20, which will see 20,000 troops deployed from the United States to Europe.
Since then, a number of non-NATO exercises have been cancelled in South Korea and Israel, and U.S.-led multinational exercises in Africa have been scaled back over the coronavirus concerns.
With reporting from AFP
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