NORTHERN CHALLENGE 2023

Northern Challenge (NC) is an annual, Icelandic Coast Guard-led EOD exercise (Ex) which traditionally took place in Keflavík, Iceland. This year’s iteration was held from 21 SEP to 04 OCT. In total of 420 participants from NATO countries (BEL, CAN, DEU, DNK, FRA, GBR, ISL, LTU, NDL, NOR, POL, SVK, USA ) and partner nations (AUT, NZL, SWE) participated in the exercise on various positions with different tasks. The overall NC 23 Ex aim was to improve multinational cooperation with regard to EOD operations, with special emphasis on the disposal of improvised explosive devices on land, but also underwater.

As the Ex gained momentum, each scenario became increasingly more complex, adding several improvised explosive devices for the teams to safely neutralize and provide a more threat-informed environment, while a dangerous adversary was questioning their problem-solving skills, tactics, techniques, procedures and even equipment. 

The NC 23 Ex provided a platform for 16 land and 11 maritime EOD teams working together in the multinational EOD environment. To meet the complexity of the EOD tasks, units were reinforced by, e.g. military search teams and weapons intelligence teams supported by the biometrics and identity information, which played the NC 23 Ex scenarios. The NC 23 Ex has proven to be an important platform for strengthening the bonds between nations in the EOD field and improving the readiness to fight threats in the future.

Author: 2LT Katarina LICHVARCIKOVA, (SVK-A)
Photo: 2LT Katarina LICHVARCIKOVA, (SVK-A)