NATO exercise strengthens energy security
Training and exercises are key to ensuring resilience in a changing geopolitical landscape. During the NATO exercise CORE-25, civilian and military stakeholders came together to practise how to protect energy infrastructure in times of crisis and conflict.
The NATO exercise Coherent Resilience Arctic 2025 (CORE-25) was organised in November outside Stockholm, Sweden. The Swedish Energy Agency participated alongside civilian and military actors from the public and private sectors, representing 14 countries and around twenty nations.
Bringing stakeholders together in NATO exercises builds collaboration and mutual understanding.
CORE is a recurring exercise, and this time the theme was hybrid warfare in the Arctic and how energy infrastructure is affected during crises and conflicts. The Arctic is a particularly complex region. Its security dynamics are influenced by the fact that the area is rich in natural resources, which are expected to become more accessible as a result of climate change.
The exercise had several key objectives, in addition to identifying operational and technological capability gaps. One of the most important objectives was to strengthen interoperability and coordination between NATO, allied partners and actors in energy security. By simulating complex scenarios, the exercise created conditions to test and improve cooperation across national and sectoral boundaries.
Participants represented Nordic and Arctic nations as well as European NATO/EU countries with interests in the Arctic. Since Sweden became a NATO member in 2024, the requirements for preparedness and cooperation have increased.
“The changing global situation makes it essential for the Swedish Energy Agency to act proactively in its role as an agency with sectoral responsibility as well as responsibility for civil preparedness. Our work with training and exercises helps to develop capabilities and create resilience in a new security environment,” says Ella Kilim, Head of the Energy Preparedness Department at the Swedish Energy Agency.
Another focus area for the exercise was strategic communication. The aim was to increase preparedness in order to quickly and effectively counter disinformation and mitigate its consequences during a crisis.
A concluding evaluation conference will be held in December in Italy and a final report will be prepared by the organisers early next year.
