Exercise Cold Response - a huge NATO exercise featuring the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and other UK Armed Forces - has been closed down due to the coronavirus Covid-19, the Norwegian Armed Forces have said.

The chief of the Norwegian Joint Armed Forces Headquarters told reporters: "The coronavirus is now out of control in the Norwegian society and that is a new situation to us. Because of this, we have decided to start a controlled closure of the exercise”.

"We would rather preserve our army’s combat capabilities so we can support society in the turbulent period to come."

Plymouth-based warships HMS Albion and HMS Sutherland are among the assets that have deployed to the Arctic for the Norwegian-led NATO winter exercise, which involves 15,000 troops from ten nations, including 2,000 from the UK.

A statement on the Norwegian Armed Forces website says it has "decided to end the ongoing winter exercise in Northern Norway".

It adds: "The exercise will be terminated in a controlled matter."

The statement on the Norwegian Armed Forces website reads: "The decision was made by the chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters in cooperation with the leadership of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The exercise will be ended due to the ongoing coronavirus situation in Norway. The decision has been made in close cooperation with Norwegian civilian health authorities.

"Lieutenant General Rune Jakobsen, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, spoke about the decision on Wednesday afternoon.

"He underlines that the Norwegian Armed Forces are very much aware of their responsibility – and the organisation is working hard to prevent the spreading of coronavirus in Norway. The controlled closure allows the Armed Forces to maintain their combat capability. It will also allow the Armed Forces to support civil society in the time ahead."

Lieutenant General Rune Jakobsen said: "By ending the exercise now, we will also avoid any unnecessarily burden to the civilian health care system, for example with illness among soldiers, accidents or corona testing among personnel.

"Some of the Armed Forces' medical personnel also have positions in the civilian health care in Norway, and they are needed there."

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