MP Visit to Norway - 7/3/22

Alan Brown MP spent the February Recess at a new military base in Norway.

As part of the Armed Forces Personnel Scheme, they visited a new base for more than 500 personnel of the Royal Marine Commandos.

Along with other cross-party MPs, the representative for Kilmarnock and Loudoun was taught survival skills by the Marines in arctic conditions. Some of these included making fire from scratch, gutting and cooking fish and sleeping in a snowhole!

Commenting, Mr Brown said:

“We visited the new base for some of the regiments and squadrons of three Commando Brigade Royal Marines. It was fascinating seeing the way they operate and the harsh conditions they are training to survive in. They are training to operate as guerrilla warriors in the case of say, Russia, invading Norway - or elsewhere.

“They are based within the Arctic Circle, and I even had the “pleasure” of sleeping in a snowhole for a night which was an experience. We were shown survival skills and it is incredible the stamina these guys have and that they train to live in the Arctic conditions for weeks.

“We can only hope that they are not required to be deployed properly, however with the current situation in Ukraine then some being deployed elsewhere is a real possibility. The guerrilla tactics they are experts in is what many of the Ukrainians will be undertaking right now.

The MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun has regularly questioned the Government’s decision to cut funding for our Armed Forces and he admitted the experience in Skjold Camp, Overbygd Norway highlighted this:

“Interestingly, when we go on these trips, there are always concerns raised in general about cuts in overall numbers of the armed services and the fact that they need more spent and better procurement on equipment. These are all aspects of the UK Government pumping their money into the Trident Successor programme rather than spending it on personnel which is a self-defeating strategy.”

Further comments about the trip, Mr Brown added:

“Logistics and planning are critical to what they do. The helicopter trip was fun, but the wider point is what they can do to drop off or rescue marines in the deep snow which requires specialist flying skills. We got to ride on speedboats but these are used for raiding purposes and the guys have to be tough to go on long journeys in the biting cold. But even more important is their resilience and adaptability. They have their own set of mechanics, repairing vehicles and keeping them going even though the MOD should be buying newer kits. We are seeing what is happening in Ukraine, too much of the Russian kit which hasn’t been looked after breaking down and stalling their attacks. However, the Commandos certainly have the know-how and dedication to keep their fleet moving.

“The brand new base and barracks were completely built by the Norwegian Government and the MOD has leased it for ten years. In effect a kind of PFI which shows the disparity in the spending power that Norway has compared to the UK! It is a great set up and the guys I spoke to were happy to be there and enjoying the challenges.

“The Marines do a basic three-week arctic training programme which includes jumping in an ice hole with full loaded Bergen rucksack - never in a month of Sundays for me! On the whole, it was a very enjoyable trip, very informative and also sobering to think of the security considerations in the current climate.”