Collaborative defense in the Arctic: Strengthening Norway's oil sector resilience through knowledge sharing and vigilance against drone threats

Abstract

Norway's oil sector faces significant security challenges due to rapid technological advancements and heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly concerning threats from Russian drones. The sector maintains a vigilant approach, continually monitoring and adapting to evolving threats. This study investigates strategies employed by sector companies to mitigate challenges, emphasizing collaboration, effective network utilization, and learning from past incidents to enhance operational resilience. Our analysis aligns with three thematic areas from the Generic Resilience Management Guidelines developed under the EU‐funded H2020 project DARWIN: enhancing coordination in emergency response operations, managing adaptive capacities, and updating procedures and checklists. The study underscores the role of task forces, interdisciplinary teams, and collaborative efforts among industry operators in enhancing adaptability to threats. Findings indicated that although a willingness to draw insights from past incidents exists, a predominant reactive approach to learning prevails. Furthermore, a culture of secrecy prevalent in the sector inhibits knowledge sharing, potentially challenging overall resilience. In this complex context, proactive and transparent security approaches are imperative for Norway's oil sector to enhance resilience. Organizations should adopt a dynamic, technology‐integrated risk management approach, involving continuous policy revision and stakeholder engagement, as suggested in contemporary resilience enhancement strategies.