According to The Local, the military started operating this hidden facility as a storehouse in 1981, although following the end of the Cold War, the US transferred the costs of maintaining the caves to Norway.
Now, however, the complex is bustling with activity again as marines roll out tanks which will likely be deployed during the upcoming Cold Response 2016 military exercise.
"Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crises, so we're able to fall in on gear that is ready-to-go and respond to whatever that crisis may be," Col. William Bentley said in a video posted on the official Facebook page of the US Marine Forces Europe and Africa.
Magnus Nordenman, director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said that the caves currently contain enough materiel to outfit about 15,000 marines.
Earlier, Norway’s Defense Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide said that NATO should deploy its naval assets in the Barents Sea to keep tabs on Russia. The minister argued that such a move would serve as a reminder that NATO protects all of its member states, and won’t provoke a potential conflict in the region.
