Robert Mood has been a civic-minded and undogmatic leader in the Armed Forces for many years. He has contributed actively and astutely to several important, critical debates on the Armed Forces’ role in international operations and in Norwegian society.

It is unusual for high-ranking civil and public servants to participate so actively and courageously in the public debate. Robert Mood has done this through informative, critical contributions about defence policy, and on topics more far afield from his own area of expertise. For that reason, he was awarded the Freedom of Expression Foundation Prize for 2016 yesterday evening.

In his speech, the chair of the Fritt Ord Foundation’s Board, Georg Fr. Rieber-Mohn, emphasised the duality of our society’s demands for increasingly more candour, in contrast to the loyalty required of public employees. “I would maintain – along with the rest of the Foundation’s Board – that Robert Mood has been an important voice in the public space, not least coming from a background that has added gravitas to that voice in several essential debates”, commented Rieber-Mohn.

In recent years, Robert Mood has been deeply involved in public debates about the Norwegian forces in Afghanistan, treatment of the Armed Forces’ veterans, the size of the defence budget, the downsizing of the Army, the West’s relationship to the crisis in Syria, the arming of the Norwegian police and Norway’s relations with Russia.

“It was not long before Robert Mood was criticised, not for his opinions, but because he, as a high-ranking officer, had commented on this issue at all”, observed the Fritt Ord Foundation’s Chair of the Board, referring to the debate on general armament of the police. "This debate would have been the poorer if not for the perspective of experience and insight imparted to it by Robert Mood”.

In his speech at the awards ceremony, the prize laureate pointed out that he finds that bureaucratic latitude has diminished over the past 20 years, and that there is less interest in seeking professional advice. “If there is one thing I regret, it must be that I and the other military leaders have not been clearer in our advice and descriptions of potential consequences, not least in the public space”, Mood remarked.

His speech underlined how important it is to conduct a dialogue about the Armed Forces’ current situation and future development. Among other things, he urged the public to listen to Norway’s recent veterans, who have a good point of departure for sharing overall thoughts about defence, public safety and emergency preparedness.

“The political debate about where to make our contribution and the precise definition of the goal must not overlook the fact that our soldiers, regardless of piecemeal policy and despite political short-sightedness and high-level military inadequacy, make efforts that merit clear recognition and determined follow up, when and if the need arises”, concluded Mood.

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Speeches from the Award Ceremony

• Georg Fr. Rieber-Mohn (pdf)
• Robert Mood (pdf)

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The Freedom of Expression Prize is the institution’s highest distinction. According to its statutes, the Prize is preferably to be awarded in early May each year in connection with the commemoration of Norway’s liberation from German Occupation. The Prize is an acknowledgement accorded to individuals or institutions engaged in activities deemed especially worthwhile in the light of the institution’s objects clause. The Prize is accompanied by the Freedom of Expression statuette, crafted by Nils Aas, and a sum of money. The decision to award the Prize is made by the Freedom of Expression Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Former Laureates: http://www.frittord.no/en/priser/fritt-ords-pris/
Press Release: http://www.frittord.no/en/aktuelt/fritt-ords-pris-2016/