STAVANGER, Norway – The Norwegian Defence Staff (Forsvarsstaben) held their second Core Planning Team meeting for Exercise COLD RESPONSE 2022 (CORE22) at NATO Joint Warfare Centre’s (JWC) training facility in Stavanger, Norway, from June 11 to 18, 2021.
“The JWC is the ideal location to host these types of events,” said Commander Wayne Ubhi, the Centre’s Officer of Primary Responsibility (OPR) for CORE22 and meeting coordinator.
Ubhi added: “This specific event also affords an opportunity for us to work together with the Norwegian Joint Headquarters; further strengthening the existing links and cooperation between both organizations.”
COLD RESPONSE is a Norwegian-led biennial live exercise (LIVEX) designed to train participating NATO Allies and Partner Nations on high-intensity cold-weather operations.
COLD RESPONSE began in 2006 and is directed by the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) in Bodø, currently under the lead of Lieutenant General Yngve Odlo.
Lieutenant Colonel Lars Petter Kolle, the Norwegian OPR for the event, commended on the JWC’s top-class facilities and service support to help them in their planning work.
“Norway leads winter warfare training in NATO, and COLD RESPONSE 2022 is Norway’s biggest exercise next year,” Kolle said, adding: “The JWC’s facilities provided us not only excellent IT services, but also a great academic setting, including a large auditorium for video conferencing, which makes it an ideal base for us to develop the plan for exercise execution with all the stakeholders.”
Kolle further added: “Besides the excellent networking and knowledge-sharing venues, the Real-Life Support at the JWC has been exceptional. We look forward to replicate similar planning events here in the future.”
“The JWC’s facilities provided us not only excellent IT services, but also a great academic setting."
The NJHQ Head of Planning and Exercises (Forsvarets Operative Hovudkvarter), Brigadier General Ivar Knotten, visited the CORE22 Core Planning Team on June 18.
He was welcomed by the JWC’s Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Douglas K. Clark.
Participants to the week-long exercise planning event at the JWC included the NJHQ staff, the U.S. 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and U.S. Marine Forces Europe, NATO Joint Force Command Brunssum and NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk, NATO Maritime Command Northwood, and representatives from the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, and Sweden.
Brigadier General Douglas K. Clark (left) and Brigadier General Ivar Knotten
Lieutenant Colonel Lars Petter Kolle
