Document 3:11 (2024-2025) / Published 20.05.2025 Total Defence in security policy crisis and war

Overall assessment

It is objectionable that the Ministry of Justice and Public Security’s follow-up of this matter has not been sufficient to solve challenges that have long been known. This is linked to a lack of clarity regarding the allocation and prioritisation of resources, inadequate establishment and coordination of planning for crisis and war among civilian Total Defence actors, and inadequate evaluation and learning from exercises at the regional and local levels.

The National Audit Office of Norway finds it objectionable that the Ministry of Defence has failed to make the necessary changes in policy instruments and measures to ensure the necessary conditions for a well-functioning Total Defence. This applies to the follow-up of deficiencies in the Norwegian Armed Forces’ communication of the need for civilian support, ambiguities surrounding the allocation and prioritisation of resources between the civilian and military sectors, and evaluations of exercises at the regional and local levels.

In the opinion of the National Audit Office of Norway, this leaves civil society less capable than the Storting has assumed of supporting both the Norwegian Armed Forces and allied forces, as well as of maintaining the necessary societal resilience in times of crisis and war. In the current security policy situation, this could have serious consequences.

Conclusions

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Ministry of Defence have failed to ensure that key prerequisites for a well-functioning Total Defence have been established, despite the fact that further development and enhancement of the Total Defence has been an adopted priority since 2016.

• Total Defence actors at the regional and local levels require clearer descriptions of needs and priorities from the Norwegian Armed Forces.
• The extent to which Total Defence resources are available to and prioritised for the Norwegian Armed Forces in crisis and war has not been clarified.
• Civilian Total Defence actors at the regional and local levels inadequately plan for security policy crises and war.
• Exercises inadequately prepare civilian actors for supporting the Norwegian Armed Forces in crisis and war.
• Key challenges in the Total Defence have persisted over time, without the measures initiated having had sufficient effect.

Recommendations

The National Audit Office of Norway recommends that the Ministry of Justice and Public Security

• more clearly communicate the expectations for municipalities’ preparedness efforts in the event of security policy crises and war
• in co-operation with the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection and the county governors, ensure that the municipalities have access to relevant information in order to plan for the upper end of the crisis spectrum
• initiate a more coordinated development of the Total Defence in the civilian sector in order to improve the conditions for preparedness efforts at the regional and local levels
• take initiatives to improve the overview of resources and dependencies at the national, regional and local levels, and take measures to ensure effective prioritisation of resources between Total Defence actors in security policy crises and war.

The National Audit Office of Norway recommends that the Ministry of Defence

• follow up to ensure that the Norwegian Armed Forces identifies and communicates the need for civilian support to all relevant Total Defence actors in line with expectations in the new Long Term Plan on Defence
• follow up to ensure that the Norwegian Armed Forces communicates the need for property, buildings, facilities and infrastructure in crisis and war to the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency
• in co-operation with other relevant government ministries, clarify the use of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ preparedness agreements and how any prioritisation dilemmas between the civilian and military sectors shall be handled in crisis and war
• ensure that critical preparedness agreements do not lapse without replacement solutions in place.

The National Audit Office of Norway also recommends that both the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Ministry of Defence

• in co-operation with the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, the county governors and the Norwegian Armed Forces, follow up to ensure more frequent exercises and evaluations of civilian support for military needs at the regional and local levels.