New Manuals in Operational Resilience Training
Increased mental resilience leads to enhanced operational capability: The Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services (NAFJMS) launch multilingual manuals on techniques for Operational Resilience Training (ORT)
– Experiences from Ukraine show that focusing on this is crucial for defense capability, both among military personnel and civilians, says Chief of the NAFJMS and the Norwegian Surgeon General, Brigadier General Petter Iversen.
Norwegian Armed Forces are continuously training Ukrainian troops in ORT through the different programs. -For instance, through Gungne, we are training military psychologists in the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) to become instructors in the field, so they can pass on the knowledge in their home country, says Iversen.
Important lessons from Ukraine
– The experiences we gain from supporting Ukraine are also highly valuable for our own implementation of ORT, Iversen continues.
That is why the NAFJMS have been tasked with preparing for the introduction of Operational Resilience Training (ORT) within the Norwegian Armed Forces. Many instructors from the Norwegian Army have already been trained.
– We hope to have the training system in place soon, so that we can implement it across the entire Norwegian Armed Forces, says Command Sergeant Major for NAFJMS, Cato Pettersen.
– We would have liked to be further along the implementation, but for now, this must take a back seat, as support to Ukraine remains our top priority, Pettersen adds.
Jumpstart
Even though the implementation is not yet fully underway, it is already possible to use the techniques. The techniques are relevant in war, crisis, peace, and everyday life. The NAFJMS have chosen to make the field manuals for ORT freely available, even though the full implementation has not yet begun.
-These are research-based techniques that we are receiving positive feedback on from Ukraine, so it’s an easy win to make them available for use, says Pettersen.
Implementation of ORT
-We want those who will be teaching courses to complete the instructor training before the units systematically implement it, but in the meantime, this serves as a great reference for all soldiers, he continues.
Strengthening Cooperation
Making the manuals available in both Norwegian, English and Ukrainian, is an important step in strengthening cooperation between elements of the Norwegian Armed Forces, allied forces, and partners. In today’s security environment, it is particularly important to share knowledge and methods across borders.
The multilingual manuals give Norwegian soldiers, allies, and the Ukrainian soldiers we support access to the same tools for training and resilience. This can promote a common understanding, strengthen interoperability, and enhance learning from different operational environments.
-By sharing the manuals in several languages, we can contribute to increased robustness and learning across nationalities, says Brigadier General Iversen.
