7 Personnel schemes in the defence sector

The defence sector shall be an attractive and safe workplace where employees feel they have a predictable career cycle and the opportunity to develop professionally. Good management and development of the organisation’s human resources requires a clearly defined and predictable framework. For the defence sector, this in total is referred to as the sector’s personnel schemes. The current personnel schemes comprise a complex and fragmented framework with similar variations in practice. The current schemes do provide some leeway for further development in order to meet certain future challenges. At the same time, a review is required of proposals for a new framework for personnel schemes, including the officer corps. The objective is to gain a more comprehensive correlation between the personnel schemes. This may provide for the need for efficient transfer of competency both within and across personnel categories. The determining factor shall be the competency requirements of the defence sector, while ensuring proper management of the competency and potential of the individual. Furthermore, the defence sector’s need for specialised competency and flexibility must be met. The process involving the officer corps must therefore also include the further development of the current officer corps including commissioned officers, commanding officers and officers on time-limited contracts, and a model based on a specialist corps which also includes enlisted personnel. This work will be based on the goals and guidelines provided in this White Paper.

According to the Recommendation from the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Recommendation no. 388 S (2011–2012), this chapter includes a review of the different personnel schemes and a description of how personnel are managed. The chapter also states the premises for and a review of how the schemes can be further developed.

7.1 Legislation and guidelines within the area of human resources and competency

Regulations and guidelines which relate to the defence sector’s personnel schemes have been adopted at different levels and are administered by different ministries. In principle, the defence sector is governed by central legislation and regulations regarding personnel management. However, due to the unique requirements of the defence sector, a separate set of guidelines has been established for the personnel categories which apply in the sector. This is required both due to the sector’s responsibility for the management and development of the Armed Forces and the military profession, and to the obligations on military personnel when at work.

The Ministry of Labour in Norway is responsible for policy and management of legislation relating to the labour market, working environment, pensions and welfare. The Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs in Norway is the government’s key employer and is responsible for legislation which governs the governmental field of labour legislation, including the Civil Service Act. The Civil Service Act applies to the majority of employees working as civil servants and applies, with limitations, to personnel within the defence sector. The Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs is also responsible for the management of the government’s personnel manual and key wage agreement.

The Ministry of Defence is in charge of legislation adopted on the basis of the unique requirements of the Armed Forces within personnel, including the Home Guard Act, the Compulsory Military Service Act, the Act relating to military disciplinary authority and the Act relating to defence personnel. The Act relating to defence personnel principally applies to military personnel employed by the defence sector. Certain parts of this Act also apply to groups of civilian personnel. The officer corps scheme for the Armed Forces is stipulated by Royal Decree, with the consent of the Storting. The officer corps scheme applies to officers of the defence sector. Together with the provisions of the Act relating to defence personnel, the officer corps scheme delimits the scope of the Civil Service Act in relation to officers.

The Ministry of Defence stipulates objectives, tasks, recommendations, frameworks and guidelines for the defence sector in terms of HR. These are mainly issued to the agencies in the form of letters of implementation/award and instructions. The Ministry of Defence is authorised to compile any necessary adaptations and regulations for the officer corps, pursuant to the resolution adopted by the Norwegian Storting on 24 March 1996, cf. Recommendation no. S no. 198 (1995–1996) to Proposition to the Storting no. 38 (1995–1996). Based on the Ministry’s professional responsibility, the Ministry has also entered into the Engineering Industry Agreement for the Armed Forces, the special agreement regarding economic terms for personnel serving at stations and NATO staff abroad, and the special agreement for service on international operations.

The activities of the defence sector are mainly governed by the Norwegian Government’s personnel manual and in-house personnel regulations. Moreover, the prevailing officer corps and the Armed Forces’ personnel manual are key steering documents.

7.2 Management of personnel – current personnel schemes

7.2.1 Categories of personnel

The defence sector’s human resources are administered by different regimes, depending on the category of personnel. The principal factors determining personnel category are form of employment and function within the organisation. The personnel categories within the defence sector are in the main officers (commissioned officers, commanding officers and officers on time-limited contracts), enlisted personnel (enlisted soldiers and seamen) and civilian employed personnel (permanent and temporary civil servants, employees appointed for a term of years and personnel on contract salaries). The defence sector also has apprentices, reserve personnel and conscripts, with their individual competencies. As such, there is a diversity of schemes for personnel in the sector but the categories can in principle be divided into two: the officer corps scheme and schemes for management of other personnel. The main difference here is that officers at all levels are employed as military personnel in defence positions and are appointed positions according to application which mainly follow a centrally governed process. Other personnel categories are employed and managed locally by the individual agency.

7.2.2 Management of officers

7.2.2.1 Prevailing officer corps scheme

The framework for management of officers has been laid down under the auspices of the Act relating to defence personnel, the prevailing officer corps scheme and any specific adaptations and regulations stipulated by the Ministry of Defence. The objective of the Act is to facilitate an appropriate utilisation of the Armed Forces’ personnel resources in order to ensure execution of the Armed Forces’ tasks both at home and abroad. The officer corps scheme and its organisation must be seen in connection with the specific rights and obligations involved in a military profession.

7.2.2.2 Commissioned officers

As with commanding officers and officers on time-limited contracts, commissioned officers are employed on the terms stipulated in the Civil Service Act and with the differences laid down in the Act relating to defence personnel, the officer corps scheme and supplementary provisions stipulated by the Ministry of Defence. The Act states that the Ministry of Defence is in charge of who to employ for all categories of officers and how to organise the employment process. Commissioned officers are employed as military personnel within defence and are deployed according to rank. Permanent employment as a commissioned officer mainly requires successful completion of education, including military academies or similar, which qualify candidates for such positions. Professional employment can also be awarded on application by candidates who have competency which is relevant for the long-term requirements of the Armed Forces. Commissioned officers are primarily appointed from the rank of lieutenant or higher, but may also be awarded positions at a lower rank to allow personnel to gain competency. Promotion to the next rank is governed by the advancement scheme. Commissioned officers are obliged to accept positions according to the deployment scheme. The age limit for commissioned officers is 60.

7.2.2.3 Commanding officers

Commanding officers are officers who have been appointed permanent employment in the Armed Forces until they reach the age of 35. If necessary, the Armed Forces are entitled to extend the period of employment by up to 3 years. The category for commanding officers was introduced in 2005 in response to the imbalance in age mix among the officer corps, the need for specialised competency and increased experience among officers at lower ranks in the Armed Forces and the need for younger officers for the organisation, training and equipment of forces, emergency preparedness and operations. Commanding officers shall occupy positions which require continuity, a high level of experience and specialised expertise. Commanding officers are employed by the Chief of Defence, or a person authorised by the Chief of Defence, to military ranks and within defence, and are deployed according to rank. Commanding officers have a form of employment which implies the same rights and obligations as commissioned officers, with the adaptations required for the unique nature of service as a commanding officer. Commanding officers are obliged to accept positions according to the deployment scheme. Deployment of commanding officers normally follows the application process, although with a higher level of command than for commissioned officers. The level and type of education may vary among commanding officers, for example a civilian Bachelor’s degree or specialised military education. Commanding officers with relevant competency for the long-term needs of the Armed Forces may apply for and be employed as commissioned officers.

7.2.2.4 Officers on time-limited contracts

Officers on time-limited contracts are provisionally employed officers with positions in the Armed Forces. The officer corps scheme from 1996 has provided guidelines for the current management of officers on time-limited contracts, with the adaptations made for subsequent schemes and the Act relating to defence personnel. The time limit for such contracts may vary and relate to international operations, projects, temporary positions etc. The Ministry of Defence lays down specific regulations regarding duration and the scope to renew employment of such officers. As officers on time-limited contracts are temporary civil servants, their employment is principally governed by the Civil Service Act, with the limitations laid down in the Act relating to defence personnel, the officer corps scheme and the supplementary regulations of the Ministry of Defence. Officers on time-limited contracts can also be appointed to fixed-term positions. Officers on time-limited contracts are not obliged for deployment in Norway and abroad, but may be deployed for service on international operations. The number of officers on time-limited contracts has been reduced since the introduction of commanding officers.

7.2.3 Management of enlisted personnel

The term enlisted personnel is defined as employed military personnel who are not officers. The scheme for enlisted personnel, including enlisted soldiers and seamen, was introduced in the 1960s. The background for the scheme was the imminent reduction in the number of persons taking national service and the phase-in of modern materiel representing an increased requirement on personnel. The enlisted personnel were to be utilised in key functions, which had previously been covered by conscripts. Today, enlisted personnel are entirely essential for the operational model of the rapid reaction capability defence and the high-tech materiel and weapon systems. Enlisted personnel are employed on the terms stipulated in the Civil Service Act and with the limitations laid down in the Act relating to defence personnel and supplementary provisions stipulated by the Ministry of Defence. The Regulation relating to the Civil Service Act stipulates that fixed-term positions can be utilised for enlisted personnel. The Ministry of Defence is in charge of the scheme for enlisted personnel. Normally, enlisted personnel are employed after they have completed national service and on a fixed-term contract of 3 years, which can be renewed by 3 years up to 2 times (a total of 9 years). Enlisted personnel can also be employed as temporary civil servants pursuant to the general regulations regarding temporary employment laid down in the Civil Service Act. As with officers, enlisted personnel are obliged to adapt to any changes in service and transfers made necessary due to organisational changes in the Armed Forces. They can be deployed for international operations, on a voluntary basis. As part of the restructuring from a mobilisation defence to a rapid reaction capability defence, the role played by enlisted personnel has increased in importance. Today, enlisted personnel occupy a high number of functions within operative units, and as a result, the number of enlisted personnel has seen a substantial increase.

7.2.4 Management of civilian personnel

Civilian personnel in the defence sector can principally be categorised as either permanent or temporary civil servants, employees appointed for a term of years and personnel on contract salaries. Employees appointed for a term of years are employed on time-limited contracts. Personnel on contract salaries are employees for whom the terms of salary and work are stipulated in the Engineering Industry Agreement in the Armed Forces. Civilian personnel can normally be employed in the organisation without the need for additional education from the defence sector. They also represent normal continuity within specialised professions and staff functions. Civilian personnel are protected by a number of key legislations with provisions which are administered by several different ministries. In order to fulfil the Armed Forces’ need for personnel on international operations, the Act relating to defence personnel also provides the scope for deploying civilian personnel employed within different categories for similar service to that of military personnel.

7.2.5 Apprentices

Apprentices are persons who have signed an apprenticeship agreement, with a view to taking a final examination or apprentice’s examination within disciplines which comprise apprenticeship. The current scheme for apprentices was introduced in connection with Reform 94. The Armed Forces take on the highest number of apprentices in Norway, with more than 500 apprentices within 30 disciplines in all parts of the defence sector. Primarily, there are three types of apprenticeships in the defence sector: apprentices on national service, apprentices with officer training and civilian apprentices. Apprentices on national service complete a two-year national service and at the same time have an apprenticeship with the Armed Forces. Apprentices with officer training combine their apprenticeship with officer training. Civilian apprentices mainly serve their apprenticeship at the Armed Forces’ engineering premises. Apprentices in the defence sector are managed according to the provisions of the Norwegian Education Act, the special agreement relating to salary and working conditions for apprentices and apprentice candidates in the government and in-house regulations. Disciplines taken by apprentices follow the national curriculum. Moreover, the individual engineering workshops in the Armed Forces have in-house plans for training of apprentices.

7.2.6 Conscripts

Compulsory military service was introduced in 1814 and made legally enforceable for all men in 1897. Compulsory military service is an important source of recruitment and shall ensure the Armed Forces a stable supply of suitable personnel and shall contribute towards the operative capability of the Armed Forces. Male Norwegian citizens, subsequent to discharge or classification as serviceable, are liable for compulsory military service from 1 January in the year they turn 19 years of age to the end of the year in which they reach the age of 44. Compulsory military service thereby implies that all suitable Norwegian male citizens shall make themselves available for military service for the nation for a total of 25 years. A Norwegian male citizen who is also a citizen of a different nation is liable for compulsory military service in Norway as long as he is a resident of Norway and agreements with the other nation do not obstruct compulsory military service. Service by conscripts during peacetime includes ordinary service (national service and refresher service) and extraordinary service (special exercises, extraordinary guard duty and emergency preparedness).

Conscripts and voluntary personnel with a civilian education which is relevant to the needs of the Armed Forces and who have a Masters’ Degree or higher, may serve as conscript academic officers. The scheme for conscript academic officers shall cover functions which relate to the competency these persons have accumulated during their civilian education.

7.2.7 Reserve personnel

Reserve personnel are military personnel who do not serve continuously in the Armed Forces. Reserve personnel mainly comprise enlisted personnel, discharged officers and enlisted officers in the defence sector, in addition to personnel and officers in the Home Guard.

Discharged officers will normally have received officer training during their national service. They are liable for compulsory military service until the end of the year in which they turn 44, unless war reinforcements are required and compulsory military service is extended until the end of the year in which they turn 55. An enlisted officer is an officer educated by an agency who is not employed as a commissioned officer, in addition to discharged officers who serve as officers for one year or more after national service. Enlisted officers are liable for compulsory military service until the end of the year in which they turn 55.

Female military personnel with status as discharged officers are liable for service until the end of the year in which they turn 44, while female military personnel with status as enlisted officers are liable for service until the end of the year in which they turn 55.

The Home Guard personnel are recruited from both obligatory and voluntary personnel. All enlisted personnel who are not expected to be called up for other military service (either in peacetime, when building up forces or during a certain period after building up of forces) are obliged to serve in the Home Guard. The same applies to persons who are exempt from compulsory military service until and including the year in which they turn 55, provided they have been approved as serviceable for the Home Guard and are not exempt from compulsory service due to citizenship. During wartime, men of an age liable for compulsory military service are also obliged to serve in the Home Guard from and including the day they turn 18, provided they have been approved as serviceable for the Home Guard and are not exempt due to citizenship. Both men and women who have reached 16 years of age can be accepted as volunteers to the Home Guard. The Home Guard has its own training of officers, providing shorter term courses, and relies on a supply of reserve officers and reserve personnel from the defence sector.

Reserve personnel possess valuable military and civilian competency. They represent an important resource for the reinforcement of the permanent agencies in relation to crisis management, emergency preparedness and international operations.

7.3 Premises for development of personnel schemes

7.3.1 Requirements on future schemes

The personnel schemes provide a framework for the practical management and development of defence sector personnel. It may be difficult to distinguish between the actual consequences of adopted schemes and what has been developed in practice. Based on the review of the other chapters of this report, the following six factors are essential for sustaining development in order to gain a comprehensive personnel scheme which covers all personnel categories:

• The schemes must facilitate comprehensive control and flexible application of competency throughout the sector. The schemes must be sufficiently flexible to encompass the entire sector. At the same time, the schemes must help safeguard the unique characteristics of the different agencies, in particular the military profession.

• The schemes must facilitate the attraction, recruitment and utilisation of a diverse workforce and a two-way flow of competency with the rest of society, both via new recruitment and re-recruitment at middle and upper levels of the organisation. Competency requirements and competency needs shall be the determining factor. Practice of the schemes must place value and emphasis on diversity and total team competency and experience gained both outwith and inside the sector.

• The schemes must facilitate needs-oriented competency development. An increasing requirement for specialised competency places new demands on the defence sector's competency development processes. The principle of life-long education is fundamental for competency-based organisations. This implies that competency development is not just a question of formal education, but much more a systematised employee development process within a specific position and function.

• The schemes must in total safeguard the need for retention of personnel. The schemes must be more open to allowing for the development of career plans and career cycles based on the needs of the organisation which in turn provides the employees with a predictable career and development opportunities.

• The schemes must be sufficiently flexible to ensure a balanced personnel structure over time. One decisive factor will be that the schemes help develop the employees' competency in line with the actual competency requirements of the organisation.

• The schemes shall lay the foundations for a more efficient exploitation of resources in total. Improved exploitation of resources shall be achieved partly through efficient management and partly through targeted control of individual competency.

Photo: The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

7.3.2 Competency as the determining factor

A framework for future personnel schemes shall help ensure more efficient exploitation of competency, both within and across the different categories of personnel. Furthermore, the requirement for flexibility and openness towards society is an important premise for ensuring that the defence sector is able to cover its need for broad ranging and in-depth competency. The activities of the sector require competency developed both within the military and the civilian educational system. The total qualifications of the individual must be decisive – in other words, the individual’s education, experience gained, skills and personal qualities.

The defence sector exploits an officer’s competency partly in positions which can only be occupied by persons with military education and partly in positions which can be occupied by persons with either military or civilian educational background. A military educational background is a premise for occupying positions within the operative structure, in addition to a number of positions within management, control and planning. This type of education may be taken at the Armed Forces’ educational institutions or civilian educational institutions which offer supplementary military education.

As a group, civilians with civilian educational backgrounds employed by the Armed Forces have career cycles which are much less predictable. Neither has the defence sector invested to any similar degree in civilian employees in the form of development and career plans. Traditionally, military personnel have had a more predictable career development. However, it is necessary for both personnel categories to develop career opportunities, clear and well-organised incentive schemes and schemes which allow employees to change jobs.

In a modern competency-based organisation, competency development primarily takes place via practical application, with established systems and procedures for continuous feedback, evaluations and learning for both individuals and teams. This report proposes the establishment of a framework for future personnel schemes to cover all personnel in the defence sector, where competency, irrespective of where it has been developed, shall be the determining factor for supporting the needs of a rapid reaction capability defence. The activities of the defence sector have a lot in common which distinguish them from other activities within the public sector. It is therefore necessary to further develop those aspects which are common (e.g. the programme for attitudes, ethics and management), the value base and expectations on managers.

7.4 Evaluation of personnel schemes

7.4.1 Officer corps scheme

The military profession is fundamentally important for the activities of the defence sector. The development and management of personnel exercising a military profession is therefore a central element for the sector. The principal goal for the officer corps scheme is to ensure the necessary framework conditions for the development of highly qualified, professional military personnel which cover the needs of the sector. The officer corps scheme must also be viewed in connection with the special position held by professional military personnel in society and, not least, the obligations of these personnel. Officers shall help defend and enforce Norwegian sovereignty and territorial integrity. As an employee of the Armed Forces, officers shall exercise Norwegian authority and help prevent and manage episodes and crises involving security policy. They shall also contribute towards national and international peace and security. The officer corps scheme must therefore sustain a balance between providing the defence sector with the tools required to manage and develop officers and ensuring good, predictable framework conditions for the individual officer.

7.4.1.1 Main challenges presented by the current officer corps scheme

The following challenges require particular attention when working on a new personnel scheme:

• Retention and development of military specialists: Today's scheme and practice make it difficult in a number of areas to retain personnel with military specialised competency. The scheme for commanding officers has had a positive impact and the Armed Forces are now able to retain personnel at a lower rank than before, albeit not for as long as preferable. Prevalent factors for why such personnel leave the Armed Forces include development in payroll, uncertainty regarding future career opportunities and a lack of recognition. These challenges vary somewhat among the different defence agencies and organisations, due to different forms of practice.

• Job rotation and continuity: Today, job rotation is too high in the officer corps within certain parts of the Armed Forces. The current practice of the deployment scheme, when viewed in relation to the fact that rapid job rotation is professionally rewarded, appears to be the main reasons behind the high level of job rotation. An increased rate of participation in international operations has also resulted in an increase in job rotation, partly due to the need for personnel to provisionally take on roles as acting functions.

• Standardised criteria does not take sufficient account of total qualifications: The requirements specified for individual positions and the evaluation of individual candidates' competency follows a set of relatively standardised evaluation criteria, in which level of military education and experience from military service are important criteria. A greater emphasis is required on the total qualifications of the individual, including experience and personal aptitude.

• Competency development: The current practice for competency development places an excessive focus on determining rank according to education, particularly for commissioned officers. It is also difficult to further develop and create a good system for competency development for commanding officers, both in light of their function and the potential for professional employment. Moreover, competency development must reflect the competency requirements of the organisation.

• Achieving a well-balanced inventory of competency over time: Challenges in this area for the Armed Forces and defence sector relate primarily to two factors. Firstly, the need for military personnel in operative units is greater than the need for officers in staff functions. Secondly, there will at times be an excessive number of officers holding a higher rank than required. It is therefore essential to identify efficient tools and make differentiated and targeted use of these in order to safeguard individual employees, for example by providing further education and job change schemes.

• Payroll structure: The payroll project for the Armed Forces (2006-2007) allowed the parties involved to achieve substantial simplifications and adaptations to the Armed Forces' payroll systems. There remains scope for further simplification and adaptation so that the payroll system encompasses new challenges related to personnel and competency, provides a more simple regime of agreements and provides for the individual agency's need to attract, develop and retain specialised competency within a number of areas. At the same time, it is important to exploit the opportunities provided within the prevailing framework in order to further develop current practice.

The current officer corps scheme is mainly reflected in the Act relating to defence personnel and a number of documents for the Storting, and appears relatively fragmented and over complex. At the same time, variations have emerged in how the officer corps scheme is practiced. Nonetheless, there is still scope within the current scheme. The officer corps scheme can be further developed by changing practice and/or changing the actual scheme itself in order to address and manage a number of the challenges mentioned above. Likewise, an evaluation should be carried out of how the Armed Forces can procure specialised competency in the best possible way for the future of the rapid reaction capability defence. This evaluation must take into account the proposed framework for the future personnel schemes in the defence sector.

7.4.1.2 The educational system

The educational scheme for the Armed Forces is part of the officer corps scheme. The different levels of education are also related to the civilian accreditation system.

Accreditation is a quality assurance system to ensure that military education remains at a qualitative level which can be documented and which fulfils the statutory requirements laid down in the Norwegian Act relating to universities and university colleges. At the same time, a military education shall feature a combination of subjects which satisfies the needs of the Armed Forces. Accreditation provides greater scope for cooperation between the Armed Forces’ educational institutions in relation to education, research and development. Accreditation of education also serves to enhance status. For the younger generation in particular, credits and level of education are of great importance in terms of reputation and attractiveness. As such, a military education is also important for recruitment to the military profession.

The Armed Forces’ own educational institutions have a high standard. This is documented by feedback from the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. Persons who have taken their education under the auspices of the Armed Forces describe their education as both relevant and providing for personal development. Moreover, the quality of such education is substantiated by the skilled officers who occupy operative positions and other high ranking positions within management, control, planning and administration.

A number of officers have taken civilian education in addition to their military education. Examples of civilian education are specialised education in place of military academies, such as a Bachelors’ degree in technical engineering or management. Officers who are either offered this type of education or who are recruited with an academic education are provided with supplementary military education, with a focus on the military profession. This may comprise an officer training course to qualify for the rank of commanding officer and/or a military qualification course at a military academy in order to qualify for professional employment. The use of the civilian educational system allows for a greater degree of flexibility, both in order to cover the competency gap and to recruit personnel with specialised competency not offered within the Armed Forces. Such a scheme complements the in-house educational system and provides scope for further development. This will be particularly applicable within the wide range of disciplines and specialisation required for a military organisation, be it technology, IT, cyber and management.

A number of officers are also provided with supplementary education, possibly a Masters’ degree, instead of taking staff and Masters’ programmes at the Norwegian Defence University College. This has increased in scope over the past years, reflecting the Armed Forces’ need for more specialised competency in certain areas and/or positions at higher ranks. In addition, educational and training institutions abroad are also utilised. This may range from functional education and training in weapon systems to military education at a strategic level. The need to travel abroad to take functional education and training may be attributed to the fact that Norway does not offer this type of competency development, for example training to be a pilot in the USA. When it comes to strategic military education, for example at military colleges and Universities, this is a method of qualifying military leaders to occupy high ranking national and international positions. It is essential that this is viewed as part of a career plan for personnel in whom the Armed Forces aim to invest, based on stringent selection criteria.

The current educational programme has been developed over numerous years and has a very high standard. Today, the Armed Forces’ own accredited educational programme comprises several disciplines, based on five academies. The Armed Forces must carry out a detailed evaluation of measures to ensure cooperation and to reinforce the different subjects in areas where the individual agencies provide education so as to avoid duplicating civilian educational programmes.

An increased input of civilian competency combined with an increase in the number of commanding officers and a much broader exploitation of the civilian educational system may allow the Armed Forces to reduce its internal educational programme for officers at Bachelor and Masters’ level. At current, the average age of Masters students at the Norwegian Defence University College is close to 40. These students bring valuable experience to their studies, but measures must be evaluated in order to lower the average age.

The in-house defence education must primarily provide for the requirements of a military profession. At the same time, exercise of a military profession requires professional expertise which encompasses more than the exercise of military power. Relevant disciplines here could comprise management, international law, emergency preparedness, legal disciplines, technology, logistics, resource management and languages. In many cases, these disciplines are integrated in the educational programmes and there may be strong professional arguments indicating synergy benefits. This does not mean that the Armed Forces need to recruit teachers for all disciplines. The problem can just as easily be solved via cooperation and alliances with civilian academic educational institutions. The Armed Forces’ teachers should be primarily utilised within their own core areas.

A review of the educational system is required, in order to improve fulfilment of the actual competency requirement, provide a more comprehensive educational system and identify flexible and efficient solutions via an increased exploitation of civilian educational programmes.

Moreover, the review of the military educational system must take place in the correct order. Education is a consequence of the organisation’s requirements. It is therefore important to clarify the competency requirements of the Armed Forces by carrying out fact-based analyses and studying the changes in competency requirement which will emerge from changes to the personnel schemes. At certain periods, the Armed Forces have experienced underproduction of officers due to problems with full-time equivalents. Competency production becomes vulnerable if it does not reflect actual requirements. It is essential to allow for extended use of the educational system, irrespective of personnel category and the different activities within the sector. Moreover, the requirement for formal education must be balanced in relation to competency development via employee development, training and exercises.

A review of the current educational system must also take into account what the Armed Forces aim to provide in the way of in-house education, what is offered on the civilian market and what can be achieved in cooperation with civilian educational institutions. Finally, a review of roles, responsibility and authority is required within the Armed Forces’ educational system.

Textbox 7.3 Education offered by the Armed Forces

The Norwegian Defence University College: The Ministry of Defence, represented by the Chief of Defence, is the supreme governing authority for the Armed Forces' educational system. The commandant of the Norwegian Defence University College is the principal adviser to the Chief of Defence on matters regarding education and academia, and is responsible, in close coordination with involved parties, for education and training in the Norwegian Armed Forces. The College is committed to providing relevant education and excellence in research. Its accredited educational programme comprises Staff Courses and Masters Studies in addition to disciplines which earn credits at the basic level for military educational programmes, which are part of a soldier's education. R&D at the College supports and contributes towards the high quality of the education provided and affords the Armed Forces, the defence sector and society at large relevant expertise on and insight into issues relating to defence and security. The College offers courses for senior executives which target key personnel from public administration, society and the future top executives for the Armed Forces. Other educational programmes on offer cover military operations, international military activities and military training/skills and development of performance. The College provides career guidance and information on courses to develop competency among soldiers and other groups of personnel in the Armed Forces. The College is based at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.

The military academies of the Armed Forces: The Armed Forces have three military academies – the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy in Trondheim, the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy in Bergen and the Norwegian Military Academy in Oslo. These respective academies provide educational programmes for military leaders, including both practical and theoretical assignments. All three academies are accredited for Bachelor degree granting courses, and provide a unique combination of academic education and the military profession, specialising in the three respective branches of defence. Each academy also carries out research and development, complementing education and exercises. Cadets graduating from these academies are well equipped to meet the challenges represented by a career as a professional officer within defence and joint positions.

The Norwegian Military Engineering Academy: The Norwegian Military Engineering Academy offers three-year courses resulting in a Bachelor's degree in telecommunications and data. The courses combine management training and engineering. Graduated officers will have accumulated knowledge of and practical skills in protecting against cyber attacks, setting up military information systems and directing soldiers during different types of military operations. The Academy is located at Jørstadmoen camp nearby Lillehammer.

Officer training schools: The Armed Forces have six different officer training schools. The officer training school for the Royal Norwegian Air Force is located in Kjevik nearby Kristiansand. The officer training school for the Royal Norwegian Navy is located in Bergen. The officer training school for the Norwegian Army has its headquarters at camp Rena in Østerdallen. The Home Guard also has its own officer training school, located in Porsanger at the northernmost garrison in Norway. The Armed Forces also have a separate technical officer training school in Sessvollmoen and an officer training school for intelligence and languages, located at camp Lutvann on the outskirts of Oslo. All six training schools provide specialised competency within special disciplines, with a focus on management training based on the educational pillars of knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Other educational/training programmes offered by the Armed Forces: In addition to the above-mentioned institutions, the Armed Forces can offer a number of educational and training programmes. The different branches of the defence sector offer, for example, a range of courses dedicated to specific functions in order to qualify personnel for specific operative positions. In addition, certain branches of the defence sector provide education and training on behalf of the sector as a whole based on the principle of the largest user.

The Norwegian Defence Centre for Skills and Education (FOKUS) has 13 different offices and provides higher civilian education for Armed Forces employees; either Bachelor or Masters programmes or individual subjects. The programmes are organised so that they can be taken while continuing to work. The 13 different offices are all in close proximity to military units, such as the study centre in Indre Troms. Moreover, the Armed Forces have the highest number of apprentices of any organisation in Norway: more than 500 apprentices within 30 different disciplines in all branches of defence, both civilian and military.

The figure illustrates the distribution between women and men among those admitted to the Armed Forces’ academies in 2011. Of the total 1,364 admissions, 1,161 were men and 203 were women.

Abbreviations: Officer training school for the Royal Norwegian Air Force (LBSK), pilot training school for the Air Force (LFS), officer training school for the Norwegian army (HBS), comprehensive military academy (KS gj), Armed Forces’ academy for intelligence and languages (FSES), Norwegian Military Engineering Academy (FIH), technical officer training school (FTBS), officer training school for the Royal Navy (BSS), the Home Guard (HV), basic officer training / navy officer training (GBK), the military academies (GOU), apprentices (Lærl).

The figure illustrates the number of women and men admitted to officer training from 2002 to 2012, including those admitted to the officer training schools, basic officer training during national service and those admitted to the one-year discharged officer training course during their national service.

7.4.1.3 Special age limit for officers

General developments within society and the pension reform of 2011 have given rise to expectations of a longer working life for the majority of the population. Changes to retirement age are based on demographic developments which involve an older population, an increased requirement for manpower, improved health and longer life spans. These changes also require a re-evaluation of the special age limit of 60 years in the Armed Forces.

The majority of officers in the Armed Forces are commissioned officers and commanding officers. While commissioned officers have a special age limit of 60, pursuant to the Act relating to defence personnel, commanding officers are permanent employees up to the age of 35 and have the option to extend this by three years.

The special age limit should be evaluated in light of the scheme for commanding officers or a possible future change in the officer corps scheme. The current scheme for commanding officers does not allow for a special age limit as it is a form of employment up to a specific age which can subsequently pave the way for professional employment or a change of career to other parts of society. This form of employment fulfils the Armed Forces’ need for younger personnel with specialised competency and good experience at a lower rank who can meet the requirement for continuity, particularly in operative units. Moreover, the scheme for commanding officers prevents an imbalance in age for the Armed Forces as an organisation. To a certain extent, the scheme compensates for the lack of specialist schemes found in other countries which have a separate personnel category with a low retirement age and own rights, in addition to other schemes abroad whereby commissioned officers have to choose between moving up to a higher rank or leaving.

Experienced commissioned officers of 60 years of age possess considerable competency which is of great value to both the Armed Forces and society at large. As long as the Armed Forces secure young, professionally skilled personnel for its operative units via the scheme for commanding officers or a future alternative specialist scheme, older commissioned officers will be able to occupy other functions, such as management, planning, administration and control.

At the same time, any changes made to the special age limit must take into account all possible consequences for the Armed Forces. A higher retirement age will result in organisational consequences in terms of age mix, but these may prove transient. Mechanisms are required to ensure flexible systems for both employer and employee, related to issues such as pension schemes, schemes for job changes and other tools by which to safeguard the rights of the employees.

The special age limit for commissioned officers must be evaluated in light of the fundamental debate regarding all professional groups within society and their relevant special terms and conditions. The key factor here must be how to retain and develop competency, while ensuring a positive impact on social economics.

7.4.1.4 Military specialists

The requirement for increased specialisation and continuity for a higher number of positions than before is closely linked to the increased complexity both within technology and the assignments of the current rapid reaction capability defence. This development places demands on personnel with specialised competency and who are seeking a horizontal career path. The increased requirement for specialised competency has given way to a discussion on the current scheme as opposed to establishing a specialist corps following the model used in a number of other countries. A future scheme for specialists may be evaluated on the basis of three different principle models; of which one is the current model and practice, the second lays the foundations for establishment of a specialist corps and the third is a further development on the current model in terms of both practice and changes to the actual scheme. The choice of model will have an impact on the advancement, deployment and educational schemes.

The first model, the current model, is to sustain established practice for the prevailing officer corps scheme. The discussion regarding the need to increase specialisation and criticism of elements in the current model indicate that this approach will not sufficiently fulfil the future requirement of the rapid reaction capability defence for specialists.

The second model, which implies establishing a specialist corps, represents the opposite extremity to the current model. The models in the other nations, used for comparison, are based on an officer system with two pillars of competency, respectively “officer” (OF) and “other rank” (OR). The distinction between OF and OR can be interpreted as a distinction between “generalist” and “specialist”, where the rank of generalist is based on commanding authority, strategic management and general competency, while the specialist rank allows for more specialised competency and professional management. The establishment of a specialist corps may be substantiated by the more obvious argument regarding standardisation and cooperation with other nations. Yet another factor, which carries more weight, is whether this change could help ensure improvements in recruitment and retention of specialists. A system with a specialist corps would provide a principle framework for horizontal career cycles. This would improve retention, reputation and development of talented employees within the professional pillars. Moreover, a two-part officer corps would allow for a clarification of the distribution of roles between the two pillars of competency. The establishment of a specialist corps could include enlisted personnel and commanding officers.

A number of the nations with an OR system have implemented schemes in which specialist officers have a low retirement age and related rights upon retirement. These are not necessarily compatible with the required development in Norway for higher retirement age. Furthermore, no other nations have a scheme which includes enlisted personnel. This category of personnel is included in the OR system at lower ranks. Many of these nations also have a system for compulsory military service, and a professional defence which features employment. As such, any future specialist corps must follow a “Norwegian model” based on the needs of the Norwegian Armed Forces and a Norwegian value base and developments within Norwegian society. This model will also have to include enlisted personnel. A further assumption is that the system for general compulsory military service is sustained, including national service.

The third model implies a further development of the current scheme, whereby commissioned officers, commanding officers and officers on time-limited contracts have to be evaluated comprehensively. Further development may imply a change of practice and changes to the actual scheme. The starting point would be to facilitate more diversity within competency for the current officer system. The aim of the current commanding officer scheme is to support the need for recruitment and retention of professionally specialised officers at lower ranks.

The scheme for commanding officers was evaluated in 2008, cf. Proposition to Storting 1 S (2009-2010). The final report concluded that recruitment to the scheme was good and that commanding officers were considered to provide critical competency to the Armed Forces. The scheme is perceived as having a high quality in relation to former short-term engagements, although the report indicated the need for an improved system for competency development, career plans and development in payroll. The report also recommended a continuation of the current age limit and a gradual increase in the number of commanding officers in the years to come. In 2011, a cooperative process was implemented in the Armed Forces which resulted in measures relating to the prevailing scheme for commanding officers. These measures related to recruitment, development, deployment and career exchange, with a view to increasing retention time and minimising rotation. Despite this, a recommendation was made for further investigation and measures to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable concept for the development of specialised competency. This could give way to a need for changes to key parts of the actual officer corps scheme.

The model whereby the current scheme is further developed requires an increased focus on retaining commanding officers by means of employee development, so that the scheme can be utilised as a source of recruitment for the corps of commissioned officers. Having personnel in service for a number of years and providing the Armed Forces with the opportunity to develop and evaluate the individual’s competency, potential and ambitions, provides a sound basis for increasing the rate of employment of commanding officers as commissioned officers, and thus as specialists. This type of model also requires increased flexibility to allow for employment of commanding officers at a lower age than 35. This will also help provide greater predictability for commanding officers, which will benefit both the Armed Forces and the individual officer. Professionally employed specialists will not primarily follow a vertical progress through the rank, but have a much more horizontal career. Payroll limits have been established, with alternative limits for lower ranks for specialists. However, these can be put to better use and further developed together with other methods to retain and develop employees.

Flexible systems play a key role in securing efficient movement of staff and exploitation of competency, both for the organisation as a whole and for the individual. Experience of flexibility in the current system varies among the different branches of defence. Experience from the Norwegian Army indicates insufficient scope for retaining and employing officers with specialised competency. The Royal Navy, however, employs technical personnel at commanding officer rank with four years of college education, based on requirement. The advantage of an officer corps is that movement of personnel can take place without the personnel having to switch category. This type of flexibility can also develop across personnel categories in a two-part officer corps, although certain barriers may be encountered, both genuine and emotional.

At the same time, specialists do not represent one uniform group, neither in terms of education nor function, and due to the fact that the branches of defence follow varying doctrines. The scheme for military specialists should therefore feature a sufficient level of integrated flexibility, for example by allowing a different approach to utilisation and scope by the different branches of defence and parts of the Armed Forces’ organisation.

The Armed Forces’ requirement for specialists can be met by further developing the prevailing officer corps scheme, either by changing practice and/or changing the actual scheme itself. This requires improvements to the utilisation and control of the scheme for commanding officers. Incentive mechanisms are particularly relevant here, in order to increase retention of personnel and the active use of employee development to qualify, motivate and increase predictability. This process will lay the foundations for professional employment in the Armed Forces or a change of career to positions outside the Armed Forces. Moreover, professional employment of commanding officers according to the requirements of the Armed Forces must be communicated, organised and well-structured. At the same time, there will be a definite need for a detailed evaluation of how the Armed Forces procure specialised competency in the best possible way for the future of the rapid reaction capability defence. Any changes to the officer corps scheme must take into account the investigation into and subsequent proposal for a framework for future personnel schemes, including enlisted personnel and civilian personnel. The investigation will result in a recommendation regarding the choice of model and scope of changes.

7.4.2 Enlisted personnel

The Armed Forces’ requirement for specialised competency at a lower rank is greater than before, due particularly to the development within technical disciplines but also as a result of the increased engagement of the rapid reaction capability defence in international operations. Enlisted personnel represent a core resource for the current rapid reaction capability defence which is prepared at all times to engage in missions both at home and abroad. Nations with an OR system have enlisted personnel at lower ranks.

The goal is to ensure that enlisted personnel remain in service for the entire duration of their contract. By increasing length of service, we can minimise turnover, ensure improved continuity among professional specialists and contribute to a reduction in personnel costs. As mentioned for commanding officers, enlisted personnel represent a unique source of recruitment to both military and civilian positions within the sector. A conscious approach to competency development and preparations for future careers both within and outwith the defence sector, should therefore be an integral part of individual employee development.

The scheme for enlisted personnel has a decisive impact on agencies/units with particularly high requirements for reaction and/or performance capability. It is also an important factor for securing professional competency and continuity within the Armed Forces. The scheme should be sustained while ensuring a higher level of attention to the individual employee. Reviews of the scheme should be correlated with the further development of the officer corps scheme. Any evaluation of the scheme for commanding officers and any model based on a specialist corps should in particular include enlisted personnel. Enlisted personnel would be integrated at a lower rank in a specialist corps, based on the OR system.

7.4.3 Civilian personnel

For a competency-based organisation, the decisive factor for value creation is the competency of the individual employee and the ability to exploit this to the highest benefit of the organisation, either independently or as part of a team.

Civilian employees contribute towards an essential diversity in terms of competency, and play a crucial role in helping the defence sector meet its total competency requirement. The management of competency within different disciplines must therefore be much more coherent, irrespective of whether the personnel are civilian or military. This does not imply that civilian personnel shall be included in the officer corps or those functions which require military professionals, but that the system, methods and comprehensive approach to career development and career cycles are also exploited to a greater degree for the development of civilian employees. As a result, civilian employees are a key factor in an investigation of the framework conditions for future personnel schemes.

In principle, civilian personnel already have the necessary formal competency to carry out their tasks upon recruitment. However, clear, well-organised and appropriate incentive schemes are still required, including opportunities for career and development, if the defence sector is to retain and further develop the individual civilian employee’s competency. Advancement of competency must be a part of this, in order to increase the knowledge and insight into the activities of the defence sector among civilian employees. The Armed Forces’ in-house educational programmes should be more open to civilian employees within all defence sector organisations. Clearly defined vertical career development opportunities should also be offered to civilian employees with relevant competency. Civilian employees shall be provided with increased scope to qualify for and occupy relevant managerial positions and contribute to expanding the diversity of competency, particularly among management groups in the defence sector. One evaluation required is into the common requirements which should be placed upon civilian and military managers at different ranks, for example in relation to courses in attitudes, ethics and management, and in the understanding of the principle goals and assignments of the sector. This will require improved facilitation for common courses at sector level and improvements to career flow between the different organisations. Once this is achieved, the sector may benefit from a closer integration between agencies and a more clearly defined understanding of the common assignments and objectives of the sector.

7.4.4 Apprentices

The Norwegian Government has stipulated an objective to increase the number of apprenticeships in society in order to cover the future need for skilled workers. In the spring of 2012, the Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs and all employers’ organisations and labour organisations in Norway signed a binding agreement regarding objectives – a contract for society – obliging all parties to take action in order to increase the number of apprenticeships by 20 percent by the end of 2015.

The Armed Forces shall pave the way for an increased number of civilian and military apprentices. Schemes and measures shall be evaluated which will further enable the Armed Forces to safeguard and develop the competency represented by these apprentices. Retaining apprentices after qualification also represents a valuable source for recruitment of technical competency, where required by the Armed Forces.

The number of enlisted personnel in support functions shall be reduced to the absolute minimum necessary and an evaluation shall be carried out of assigning such positions to apprentices where appropriate. The new base structure will reduce the number of possible locations for apprentices and this makes it difficult for the Armed Forces to provide apprenticeships. This can be counteracted by replacing enlisted personnel with apprentices in support functions.

Relatively stringent admission requirements imply that numerous candidates are not qualified to serve as military apprentices. An evaluation is required of the current system for admission. If the defence sector is to achieve an increase in the number of apprentices, recruitment must be more goal-oriented and apprentices require improved follow-up. Moreover, the different agencies have to be encouraged to accept more apprentices.

7.4.5 Conscripts

Developmental trends in the shape of an increased level of technology, specialisation and need for continuity imply a necessary review in the future of criteria relating to selection and national service in order to ensure that compulsory military service and national service can be appropriately practised. Compulsory military service shall remain an important fundament for the activities of the Armed Forces and a central source for recruitment. Moreover, compulsory military service shall in the future play a central role within the operative structures for the different branches of defence.

The Armed Forces have also implemented a process to extend the scheme for academic officers on compulsory military service in order to encompass personnel with all kinds of higher academic education. This scheme provides rapid access to competency, for example within technical and legal disciplines, and can provide the scope for employment of highly skilled personnel, either as officers or civilian employees, once they have completed national service.

The organisation of compulsory military service and national service requires continual development so that it is fully adapted to the needs of the Armed Forces, society and the individual conscript. An emphasis is required on the further development of a varied, meaningful and relevant military service of top quality and which meets the different needs and requirements of the branches of the defence sector.

7.4.6 Reserve personnel

Reserve officers and personnel possess valuable military and civilian competency. They represent an important resource for emergency preparedness, the reinforcement of the permanent agencies in relation to crisis management, and for a sustained contribution to international operations. Reinforcing manpower to provide greater endurance both nationally and for long-term foreign assignments requires a well-organised reserve of recently qualified personnel who are dedicated to military agencies.

The Home Guard in particular relies on a supply of reserve officers and personnel from the defence sector branches, in addition to the officers who receive their education from the Home Guard in the form of short-term courses. Measures have already been implemented to facilitate an increased level of re-recruitment of reserve personnel, based on competency and the needs of the Armed Forces. Soldiers in national service in the brigade in North Norway, for example, could be assigned to the army reserve once they have completed national service. This reserve shall be a well-organised, dedicated reserve of recent graduates, personnel on emergency preparedness contracts and former enlisted personnel who provide the agencies access to manpower when required for greater endurance at home and for long-term foreign missions. After a period with the army reserve, these personnel are transferred to the Home Guard. Other parties involved in the equipment of forces should cooperate with the Norwegian National Service Administration to evaluate the scope for establishing a similar system for their forces.

The Armed Forces have entered into closer dialogue with relevant reserve personnel to encourage such personnel to return to a career with the Armed Forces. The Norwegian Government aims to further develop its efforts into exploiting schemes with reserves within the branches of defence, both to reinforce the endurance of the operative structure and to make better use of the education and training provided during national service and officer training. This requires a higher level of flexibility within the schemes for reserve personnel, for example via work support schemes, where good relationships are necessary between the Armed Forces, the individual reserve officer or personnel and civilian employers. Reserve personnel who have an active relationship with the Armed Forces will also help reinforce the reputation of the Armed Forces among the general population.

7.5 Future personnel schemes

The defence sector must plan and take a long-term perspective in order to be able to solve complex missions. The sector requires diversity and flexibility as complex missions require a broad spectre of experience, education and background of competency. A coherent evaluation of all personnel schemes is required in order to facilitate flexible exploitation of the employees’ competency and to open a wider door to a two-way flow of competency with society at large. This also requires identification of the correct balance between the different personnel categories. The military profession is unique and future schemes must take this into account.

Proposals shall be compiled and submitted, on this basis, for a framework for future defence sector personnel schemes, including the officer corps. The process involving the officer corps shall also include the further development of the current officer corps including commissioned officers, commanding officers and officers on time-limited contracts, and a model based on a specialist corps, including enlisted personnel. Moreover, a review is required of the military educational system in light of the future changes to personnel schemes.

Photo: The Norwegian Armed Force's media centre