The Norwegian Godal Committee from 2017 stated that »the support the Intelligence Service provided to the Special Forces through the National Intelligence Support Team (NIST) was the most comprehensive and resource-intensive part of the service’s involvement in Afghanistan.» The data feed into the targeted killings that were an integral part of the Western military operations.
Frank Bakke Jensen stated that Norway is not responsible for whether data collected by us is used for the killing of civilians. But several critics have contested this, arguing that some of intelligence proved weak, and that Norway has a legal responsibility under the Geneva Convention for how its intelligence was used for.
What lessons can we draw from this experience and apply to future intelligence operations? To what extent can we be sure that Norwegian armed forces and Western forces in general operate based on correct information in other conflict situations today?
Frode Kristoffersen and Kjetil Hatlebrekke will discuss their newly published book about intelligence, where they talk about specific missions they have been on, and about the dilemmas that intelligence officers face in the field. They explain what kind of people they are looking for, how they prioritize and what the Intelligence Service does to protect Norway from threats.
Chair: Laila Bokhari
Panellists:
Cecilie Hellestvedt
Frode Kristoffersen
Kjetil Hatlebrekke
Kristian Berg Harpviken
