The Norwegian Sámi Parliament urges greater inclusion in defense planning, citing poor coordination and risks to their culture amid rising military activity. They call for dialogue with authorities, protection of Sámi resources, and representation in NATO planning. Martin Rimpi, senior advisor at Árran Lulesámi Center, explains the issue in an interview to polarjournal.net.
In a previous interview with sociologist Laura Junka-Aikio, which was published last week in polarjournal.net, the scientist explained that the Sámi of Norway, Sweden and Finland felt threatened in their mission to safeguard their culture by the increase in military exercises in Northern Europe. At the plenary meeting of the Norwegian Sámi Parliament, concerns on the subject of defense were clearly spelled out in the form of expectations addressed to the Norwegian government, on June 5. Martin Rimpi, what was the main outcome of these discussions?
In peacetime, the armed forces support civil society. In the event of flooding, wildfires or any other kind of catastrophe, they provide resources. The Norwegian Navy runs civil services similar to the coastguard, and the Air Force operates Search and Rescue helicopters. However, in times of crisis or wartime, this changes completely. Civil society is expected to support the armed forces as they move to the front. This support includes providing electricity, mobile coverage, food and fuel supplies, and transport by truck and railway, among other things, within the concept of ‘Total Defence’.
From the outside, it looks like this system is well organized in the Nordic countries, but the truth is that it is not. On the state level, numerous plans exist, yet on the local level knowledge is insufficient, and the Sámi are not even mentioned in the plans and do not receive any information at all.
This was also confirmed in a report from the Office of the Auditor General of Norway, which stated that there is a serious gap in coordination in local planning of total preparedness. What is expected of the local community in times of crisis and war is not clearly expressed.
It’s like they have described the system, but the connections and how it’s operable are not good enough.
What gaps has the Norwegian Sámi Parliament identified in the national preparedness plan for the Sámi population in the event of a transition to wartime, as the conflict with Russia is not decreasing?
Some Sámi resources and knowledge need to be part of national preparedness. We think that the Sámi could contribute to it. Reindeer herding is a small part of Sámi livelihood and culture, but an important one. For example, during WWII, the German troops wanted to have the Sámi reindeer, around 60,000 heads, on one occasion. They almost got hold of them, but the Sámi know the terrain very well, so they moved the reindeer in the opposite direction to save them. But the Nazis had correctly identified the resources.
The reindeer are big resources, and they are mobile, that’s practical in times of crisis or war. And there is a crucial point here, during wartime, the national authorities have the requisition power. We must have a system to know how to utilize this resource and how it should be compensated.
The authorities can also relocate people, and in no documents do they mention the animals that they herd. But we have to remember that they are in huge numbers. In Finnmark County, for example, they are almost 200,000. What will happen to them if people are forcibly relocated, in the event of an invasion?
This is an example of Sámi invisibility in state plans for total preparedness and total defense.
We understand that the lack of mention of the Sámi people in the defense scenarios developed by Norway, Sweden, Finland, and NATO is a risk for this culture. Potentially causing a setback to the rights of these people and the preservation of their heritage. What does the Norwegian Sámi Parliament expect from the government?
The Sámi want to be part of the defense value chain, so to speak. They recommend that Sweden, Finland, and Norway include Sámi representation and expertise on Sámi matters within the NATO structure. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly takes place every two years. You could have Sámi representatives in the Nordic mission to NATO. In the national command chain, you could have liaison officers at the national headquarters. Liaison officers are not civilians, they can be recruited among from within the defense organization. I’m sure they’ll find someone with Sámi backgrounds, to keep in touch with the Sámi community for all planned activities; expansion of bases and exercises, for example.
I was at NATO HQ in March on a NATO Policy Tour, and we learned that all large military exercises are planned two years ahead, so we could easily be included earlier in the process. Currently, in the best case, we know where and it’s scale six months before. But we want to know as soon as possible so we can be prepared.
The actual increased military presence should not negatively impact the Sámi community and should respect Sámi cultural heritage and living areas. The Sámi Parliament wants to have a permanent dialogue structure with national authorities to ensure that Sámi rights are safeguarded in emergency policies.
For example, we have a nomadic cultural heritage, and it’s still out there. And it’s almost impossible to see if you do not have trained eyes. They blend in with the landscape, appearing as turf with grass and subtle marks. And then there are sacred stones, and it’s easy to drive over them with heavy equipment and destroy them. The military must locate where the cultural heritage sites are and respect them.
The languages and knowledge of the Sámis should be emphasized. For example, the alarm system, when its activated, should include the Sámi language. It’s expected that, as with all countries’ total preparedness plans, Norway is well organized on that matter as well.
Nordic forces in “the High North” in Norway, Finland, and Sweden are now under the same Nato umbrella. Since there is a Sámi Parliament in each of these countries, could the Norwegian Sámi Parliament have a coordinating role ? Also because the Norwegian defense authorities have a better dialogue with the Sámi people?
Norway is one of the founding countries of NATO, since 1949, and the Sámi Parliament of Norway is well staffed and has a quite strong cooperation with the defense authorities. Not everything is perfect in Norway, far from it, because construction of bases and so on is not always to our satisfaction. But still, we are in a better situation than in Sweden and Finland. And I think we have deepened the relationship with the Ministry of Defense and their subsidiaries, and we could profit from that on a pan-Sámi level.
The Sámi across the Nordic countries must cooperate. I think that the Norwegian Sámi Parliament could have a leading role in coordinating the Sámi view on defense and security with the authorities, through a common secretariat. The Sámi Parliaments of Sweden, Finland, and Norway should further develop a dialogue and a joint strategic response for hypothetical wartime scenarios.
Martin Rimpi is a senior advisor at Árran, the Lule Sámi Centre in northern Norway, which aims to preserve the culture, language, and way of life of the Lule Sámi people. Originally from Tysfjord, he has had a career in different organisations and institutions, including those with an international mandate. He is a member of NSR – the Norwegian Sámi Association -, one of the current governing parties in the Sámi Parliament of Norway (next elections to be held in September 2025).