Pran died Monday, reports Defense Forum.
– It is with sadness that I received the message about Arne Pran’s departure. Pran will be remembered for a long time in the Armed Forces for his sense of responsibility and for his handling of the Vassdalen accident, says Defense Chief Haakon Bruun-Hanssen.
Pran, who was born in Bergen, attended the infantry school in southern Norway in 1957, the War School in 1960, the Army Staff School in 1972 and the Defense College in 1984.
Critical look at the Armed Forces
Between 1979 and 1983, Pran was head of the War School. According to the Defense Forum, Pran viewed with a critical look at the authoritarian leadership style that characterized the Armed Forces in the late 1950s.
– That’s the best advice I can give; gain some experience and know where your people come from. It’s a fair thing to talk to people, ask the ridge they’ve had, Pran said in an interview on the Defense website in 2018.
When the landslide in Vassdalen in Narvik Municipality took place on March 5, 1986, Pran was the brigade commander in Northern Norway. 16 soldiers perished in the landslide. The troop had been in the area from the same morning as part of the NATO Anchor Express exercise. Two hours earlier, a warning had been sent out, but this was not passed on to the engineer soldiers in the avalanche area, and the Armed Forces had to endure much criticism.
Took responsibility as leader
Pran did something unique at the time by standing up and taking responsibility as leader, according to Espen Eidum, who has written the book “Vassdalen 1986”.
– In a way, he served as a lightning rod for the Defense in the Vassdalen accident. He took on a responsibility that no one else wanted or dared to take. For that, he deserves all the respect and honor, says Eidum to the Defense Forum.
After his career in the Armed Forces, Pran was among other members of the board of the Norwegian Refugee Council and participated in other humanitarian work. He was named First Class Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 2016.
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