The Norwegian Armed Forces will significantly step up military activity in the north, including drills, Army Commander Major General Lars Lervik has said, citing Russia's special operation in Ukraine.
“Based on what has happened in Ukraine, we have reported a need to increase activity here at home. In addition, we have reported a need to strengthen preparedness and make that work a little faster than originally planned”, Lervik told national broadcaster NRK.
According to Lervik, the increase will mainly involve northern Norway, particularly Finnmark County, including the Porsangmoen garrison and the Kirkenes area bordering Russia's Murmansk Oblast.
Some of the drills will involve allies in the north, as this is one of the points mentioned by the government in its proposal to boost the nation's defence expenditure by NOK 3 billion ($320 million), presented in March. In 2020, the defence ministers of Finland, Sweden and Norway entered into a formal military cooperation to enhance rapport.
In addition to increased exercise activity, the Armed Forces are working to build up their emergency stocks of food, fuel, spare parts and ammunition.
“This is what we are trying to do a little faster than planned, to have a better preparedness,” Lervik said.
“This is what we are trying to do a little faster than planned, to have a better preparedness,” Lervik said.
Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram argued that it was “natural” for Norway to be more active in the north, citing a “serious” ongoing conflict in Europe, for which he claimed Russia was “responsible”, with major changes in the overall security situation.
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, with the idea to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” the country after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against increasing Kiev's shelling and provocations.
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, with the idea to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” the country after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against increasing Kiev's shelling and provocations.
Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has enjoyed massive Western backing and increasing arms deliveries from NATO countries and beyond, ranging from its immediate neighbours to distant nations like Australia and Canada.
In response to Russia's campaign, which it branded an “invasion”, the West rolled out a slew of sanctions against Moscow, featuring airspace closures and numerous restrictive measures targeting Russian officials and entities, media and financial institutions, as well as spheres of the economy ranging from energy and tech to consumer goods.
Yet another shift has involed a spike in military expenditure across the West. Most dramatic is Germany’s turnabout, with promises to raise spending above 2 percent of the country’s GDP and an immediate injection of 100 billion euros ($113 billion) into its armed forces.
Meanwhile, Norwegian-Russian relations, marked by centuries of cooperation starting from the Viking era, have over the past decade deteriorated amid spying accusations, military buildups in the north, fighter jet interceptions, and the expulsion of diplomats.