Norway, known as the "country of ten thousand islands", has many coastal islands and borders Sweden, Finland and Russia. Its land area is 385,000 square kilometers, slightly larger than Japan, but its population is only over 5 million. This country has been rated as the happiest country in the world by the United Nations, and it is well-known for achieving equality between men and women among the highest in the world. The same is true for military service, and barracks dormitories where men and women live are also introduced. So, what is the real combat effectiveness of Norwegian soldiers?
Norway is one of the five Nordic countries. This country of ice and fire on the edge of the earth continued to expand outward during the Viking period of the 9-11 centuries. It entered its heyday and reached the height of its medieval prosperity. After that, Norway began to decline. Today Norway is one of the most developed welfare states in the world. Norway is also one of the countries with the most gender equality in the world, and the prevalence of "feminism" is felt everywhere in Norway. The same is true for
in the Norwegian army. As early as 2014, Norway added a female compulsory military service system. All healthy women aged 19 to 44 are required to perform military service for at least 19 months. The male and female soldiers are required to perform exercises together and sleep in the same dormitory. Norway has become the only country in NATO that has a system of military service for men and women in recent years.
Female soldiers of the Norwegian Armed Forces
In this regard, the Norwegian army has specially set up "mixed male and female" dormitories to allow female and male soldiers to live together, with the purpose of reducing sexual harassment in the military. "Mixed male and female" bedrooms generally consist of two female soldiers and four male soldiers. In military training, they live in the same barracks as male soldiers and participate in high-intensity military training. Even for heavy manual tasks such as manipulating heavy machine guns and carrying ammunition, female soldiers must be competent.
Mixed male and female military camp dormitories have caused considerable controversy. However, the results of the research by researchers have shown that this measure has achieved satisfactory results. Living with male and female soldiers not only eliminates the sense of distance and mystery, but also improves daily life. Often help each other, produce sibling friendships rather than potential partners.
Picture source Phoenix Satellite TV
In addition, this mode has a natural advantage on the battlefield, which is conducive to solving problems in different ways and making the army stronger. Because the female soldier's observation ability and small arms shooting ability are particularly outstanding. When preparing for major operations or training, the preparations for female soldiers are more detailed and adequate. In the operation, the men and women understand and cooperate with each other tacitly, which can be described as a doubled combat effectiveness.
Researchers have found that this “de-gendered” training method has achieved certain results. The same camp of men and women even reduces the frequency of sexual harassment. In the United States, female soldiers are in a difficult situation in the military. According to relevant information, the United States reports at least 3,000 cases of sexual assault each year, but the US military has not come up with effective solutions to solve this problem.
