Sweden conducted a large-scale evacuation drill on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland. On October 7, around 250 extras played civilians who had to leave a suspected dangerous area and be taken to reception centers.
The participants were transported by buses and were provided with temporary accommodation, food and necessary assistance on site. The scenario was designed to test not only the movement of people, but also the interaction between institutions in a crisis situation.
Evacuation plan is being tested
The exercise is being held from October 5 to 8. The most active phase was on October 7 in the districts of Bro, Veskinde and Roma. The Swedish Armed Forces, the police, Region Gotland, the regional administration, the Transport Agency, the Swedish Red Cross and the Church of Sweden are participating in it.
Region Gotland reported that the exercise was planned for a long time and is not related to a change in the current international situation. It is to test the developed evacuation plan, the organization of transport and the distribution of responsibilities between the individual services.
“We are not training to say that everything is perfect, but to find out where the weak links are“, said Gotland County Governor Charlotte Petri Gornicka, quoted by SVT.
A key island for the Baltic Sea
Gotland is located approximately halfway between mainland Sweden and the Baltic states and about 300 kilometers from the Kaliningrad region. Because of its location, the island is important for surveillance and military logistics in the Baltic Sea.
NATO defines Gotland as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier“. After Sweden and Finland joined the alliance, the collective defense of the Baltic region has become a more important element of NATO planning.
Crown Princess Victoria visited the exercise on October 7 and spoke to volunteers and participants. In the next stage, the organizers are to test a theoretical evacuation scenario and summarize the results of the actions taken.
Sources: svt.se, sverigesradio.se