Tom Hunt on watching armed forces training in Norway

As many of you know, last September I joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, so I was off to north Norway for arctic training with the Royal Marines for much of the week.

With today marking one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, it couldn’t have been more timely. What an extraordinary experience it was.

The Royal Marines really are the best of the best, so having such exposure to them last week was a real privilege.

It was actually far warmer than it was meant to be, though. The week before it was between minus 20 and minus 30, last week the temperature hovered between minus 5 and freezing.

In some respects it was like being at a summer camp as a kid. We were in bunk beds. I was sharing with three other MPs and a peer. We were up just after 7am every morning and averaged about 4 hours sleep a night at best. It really was non-stop.

What did I get from the trip? A much greater appreciation for the lives our Royal Marine Commandos live, the challenges they face, what the Government could do to help, and the strategic importance of the presence of British forces in that part of Norway, NATO’s northern frontier!

The majority of the 1,000 troops stationed at Camp Viking were Royal Marines Commandos. However, there were other Army and Royal Navy units that were working closely with them and supporting them.

One Army unit that I got to spend time with were the 148th Battery Unit, who worked closely with the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) section of the Royal Marines.

Essentially, they operate as a group of six deployed behind enemy lines. They need to act undercover and go undetected.

It’s extremely challenging and risky work. I had to crawl into one of the structures that they constructed that would be typical of the sort of place they would reside in together as a six for up to 9 days.

They carry out this intensive training in all sorts of different climates to ensure they’re prepared. I asked them which one they thought was the most challenging, thinking it would be the artic conditions, but they actually said rainforest.

They said at least when it’s freezing cold you can usually find a way to warm yourself up, but when you’re in the rainforest there isn’t really much you can do to make it any more bearable.

The soldiers that I spoke to all saw action in Afghanistan doing exactly the same undercover missions.

The training and preparations that the Marines are carrying in north Norway is of great importance.

Where we were wasn’t far from the Russian border. And Norway is of great strategic significance as the ideal location for submarines to be based for the Atlantic.

If things were to take a major turn for the worse in our dealings with Russia, this area would certainly be one of interest for Putin.

What’s clear though is that our Royal Marine Commandos, who work incredibly hard to keep us safe, and all the other various Army and Navy units are ready and prepared for anything that might occur.

As it happens, due to the war in Ukraine, Russian forces at the Norway border are thought to have declined by up to 80 per cent, but this is clearly no time to get complacent.

One thing that did frustrate me though was hearing how the training of some of our elite forces has been disrupted by them having to cover strikes in some public services.

Yes, our armed services personnel are exceptional at whatever they turn their hand to, but resources being pulled to cover strikes in public services is not without consequence.