NORWAY - In 1944, Norwegian resistance fighters in the town of Kongsberg blew up a fac-tory making cannons for occupying Nazi German forces during World War II.
More than 80 years later, the municipality could once again be a target for sabotage, and is preparing for war.
The local authorities have dusted off Cold War-era bomb shelters, installed a new satellite communications system, and are working with the military on plans to help a deployment of Western forces in case of conflict. “The lesson we learned from Ukraine is that everybody pitched in,” said Odd John Resser, Kongsberg’s emergency planning officer, noting breweries that pivoted to making Molotov cocktails, local authorities that built schools in shelters, and weapons factories which ramped up production. Across the Nordic nations, governments are boosting defence spending, reassessing security and pushing the concept of total defence. It’s an approach which mobilises the whole of society to defend against military and non-military threats. As Moscow wages war in Ukraine, Western officials are accusing Russia of being behind a campaign of sabotage, arson and cyberattacks, and there are jitters across the continent about whether Europe can rely on the US as a partner. (Jamaica Gleaner)
