LtCol Anders Kildal writes about the 19th CBRN International Commandant and Commanders Conference

The Norwegian CBRN & EP School recently hosted the 19th CBRN International Commandant and Commanders Conference in Oslo, from 5 – 8 May 2025, and was a complete success.

The conference was led by LtCol Anders Kildal and moderated by cavalry captain Vigdis Holaker-Svanholm. The main topics for this iteration were the Nordic countries CBRN and their approach to the total Defence systems.

Throughout the Conference there were presentations from the JCBRN COE, and the COE for Cold Weather Operations in Norway. The Nordic countries presented their Armed Forces, and their CBRN education and system. As a continuation of this, captain Holaker-Svanholm, presented the status and planning for the Nordic CBRN exercise RECCEX to be held in Norway the two first weeks of September 2026.

Colonel Thomas Lamke, the Swedish national CBRN defence centre presented the new live agent training facilities in Umeå.

The total defence system was presented by The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) who is responsible for helping society prepare for major accidents, crises and the consequences of war in Sweden. The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) who have an overview of risk and vulnerability in society and is a driving force in the work to prevent accidents, crises and other undesirable incidents presented.

The national civil defence commissioner & chief of the civil defence Øistein Knudsen described the Norwegian civil defence. How they have shifted from focusing on disaster, wildfires etc for the last decade, and have shifted back to preparedness for war. Further describing the growth of the civil defence and cooperation with the armed forces on exercise and education.

Colonel Frode Østreng medical inspector of the army Described the challenges of medical evacuation in Norway, and how CBRN complicates this even more. His focus was on the importance of basic skills, triage and the need for united effort, the ability to be flexible, enforce resilience and the need for continuous improvement

On the 6th of May the Norwegian Chief of Defence visited the conference for about an hour, talking about international cooperation within the alliance and with partner nations. He discussed the changes in operations and warfare for the last three years, and shared ideas for the future. At the end of the visit, he opened the floor for questions from the participants.