For performing effective military power whether it concerns crisis management, maintaining and establishing of peace or conflicts of high intensity, good physical and mental abilities are needed.
The Defence Institute at Norwegian School of Sport Sciences is the Norwegian Armed Forces centre of professional relevance and academic excellence in the field of sports and training in a military context, meaning that the institute has the authority and responsibility for superior policy. Thus, the Institute is the premise provider for the subjects content at all levels and has a responsibility to secure broad evolvement and competence building within the entire Armed Forces.
The Defence Institute has been an integrated part of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences since the establishment of the university in 1968. Today, the institute has an extensive network, both nationally and internationally, where both civilian and military organizations and institutions are included.
The Institute’s goal is to put (challenges of) professional military training on the agenda.
The main fields of operations and deliveries are:
- publishing directives and superior policy within sports and training
- follow-up and advisory service for sport and training in a military context
- education, research and development
- military sports activity, including maintaining Norwegian participation and representation within international military sports cooperation (CISM)
One of the Institute’s most important tasks is to share its expanding knowledge with the surroundings. The Institute shall oblige the Norwegian Armed Forces’ requirements and requests for scientific and experience-based competence and services. Based on its own and the school’s academic expertise and also the requirements of the Armed Forces, the Institute offers an extensive opportunity for skills development, organized through everything from full-time studies, part-time studies with study points, shorter courses, post-qualifying and further education, subject-specific seminars, workshops and conferences. In addition, the Institute can customize efforts of skills upgrading and activities on request from the units in the Armed Forces, within a wide range of different sports and training subjects. The Institute also participates in a number of ongoing military studies and projects.