We visited Camp Jomsborg, a training centre where Ukrainian service members undergo training
At the invitation of the Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman Committee for the Armed Forces, we visited Camp Jomsborg in Poland, a military training centre established to train Ukrainian service members.
The centre was opened in October last year as part of Operation Legion, an initiative led by Norway involving the Nordic countries, the Baltic states and Poland. Its training programme includes basic military training, advanced training courses, and specialised training for assault troops, combat medics and squad commanders. The training centre maintains regular communication with Ukrainian units on the frontline and updates its programmes in line with developments on the battlefield.
During the visit, we reviewed the training, accommodation and medical care provided to Ukrainian service members. The service members highly appreciated the quality of the training, particularly the small-group approach: there are four to six trainees per instructor, allowing each trainee to receive more attention and individualised support. They also cited the opportunity to focus on training without interruptions caused by air-raid alerts as another advantage.
Together with the centre’s command, we discussed the need for additional medical personnel and preparations for the season of infectious diseases. There are sufficient vaccines and medicines, but as the number of trainees increases, the medical team needs to be reinforced. In meetings with foreign ambassadors, the Office of the Military Ombudsman regularly raises the issue of involving foreign medical professionals in Ukrainian military hospitals and training centres. During this visit, we discussed the possibility of involving medical personnel from Norway at Camp Jomsborg.
We also discussed the centre’s need for Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and ground robotic systems used in combat. Trainees need to train on the equipment they will use in their units. The Office of the Military Ombudsman will appeal to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding the provision of equipment samples for training purposes.
We thank our colleagues from the Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman Committee for the Armed Forces and the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Poland for organising the visit. We also thank the entire Camp Jomsborg team for the high standard of training and their attention to the needs of Ukrainian service members!
