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RUSSIA

‘Most serious situation in decades’: Norway raises military alert level

Norway will raise its military readiness, its prime minister said on Monday, stressing however that no direct threat had been detected.

Norwegian military helicopters
Recently, the Norwegian Defense Forces have increased their presence and patrols around critical infrastructure. Photo by Maria Smørholm / Forsvaret

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that the background for the security tightening was Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the security policy situation the war has led to in Europe.

“The military will as of tomorrow raise its preparedness in Norway,” Støre said. We are in the most serious security policy situation in decades.”

Støre said that whilst there was no direct threat against Norway, Russia the country, which is a member of Nato and shares a border with Russia, must be prepared.

“There are no indications that Russia will expand its warfare to other countries, but the increased tension means that we are more exposed to threats, intelligence, and influence. That makes it necessary for all Nato countries to be more vigilant, including Norway,” Støre said at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

The government strengthened readiness even before the war broke out and has since bolstered it several times.

In recent weeks, the Norwegian Defense Forces have increased their presence and patrols around critical infrastructure in the North Sea. Furthermore, the Home Guard is protecting critical infrastructure on land to assist the police.

‘No reason to believe that Russia will want to invade Norway’

The Prime Minister added that he does not think Russia will involve Norway directly in the war.

“There is no reason to expect that Russia will involve Norway directly in the war, but we must be more vigilant,” he said, adding that there are no specific incidents that have led the government to increase the preparedness level.

At the same time, Støre stressed that the threat outlook was serious. Among other things, he pointed to drone observations and the gas pipeline explosions in the Baltic Sea.

“We are doing this to ensure Norway is well prepared and able to act… Our most important task is to secure Norway and everyone who lives here. We are doing what is necessary to preserve the security of our country,” he said.

No major changes for regular people

The Prime Minister does not believe that people will experience major changes in their lives as a result of the increased preparedness.

“I don’t think people will see big changes due to this (security tightening) in their everyday lives. It revolves around our military apparatus, personnel, and how they set up their operations,” Støre told a TV 2 reporter.

“It will be visible along the coast and at the on-land facilities where there is now a Home Guard presence. You might also see the military in connection with transfers and exercises… But as I said, I don’t think this will be a very visible element in everyday life,” he concluded.

Background

Norway has already raised security around its strategic sites after mysterious drone flights were observed near its offshore oil and gas platforms and the suspected sabotage of Nord Stream’s Baltic Sea pipelines.
In recent weeks, several Russians have been arrested in Norway for illegally flying drones in its airspace or violating photo restrictions in restricted areas.

Last week, Norway’s counter-intelligence service also announced the arrest of a man suspected of being a Russian undercover agent, who according to experts could be a senior officer from the GRU military intelligence service.

Defence Minister Bjorn Arild Gram meanwhile said the increased military preparedness would include measures related to logistics, communications security and security at military installations.

Amid rising tensions between Russia and the West, Norway has already boosted its military budget and intelligence efforts in Northern Norway, where it shares a 198-kilometre (123-mile) border with Russia.

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MILITARY

Norway to hit ‘two percent’ NATO target ahead of schedule

Norway, whose neighbour Russia is now "more dangerous and more unpredictable", will reach NATO's two-percent spending target this year, two years earlier than expected, the prime minister said on Thursday.

Norway to hit 'two percent' NATO target ahead of schedule

The 2024 defence budget, initially expected to be around 8.0 billion euros ($8.75 billion), will be revised upwards in the spring budget bill, Jonas Gahr Støre said after meeting opposition leaders.

The Labour prime minister did not provide any detailed figures but said his country would this year reach the target set for NATO members, under which they are expected to dedicate at least two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to military spending.

“Russia has no interest in a military conflict with a NATO member,” Store said. “But we will likely have to cope for a long time with a more dangerous and more unpredictable neighbour, Russia.”

The Scandinavian country was a founding member of NATO in 1949 and shares a 198-kilometre (123-mile) border with Russia in the Far North.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a backdrop, Norway’s minority government will also present a white paper on April 5th outlining its defence plans for 2025-2028.

“Norway poses a threat to no-one,” Støre stressed. “It’s not a plan (to provoke) a conflict, it’s a plan to avoid conflicts.”

NATO is currently holding Nordic Response exercises in northern Europe, involving around 20,000 soldiers.

They include Swedish troops taking part for the first time since Sweden formally joining the transatlantic military alliance last week.

On Wednesday, another Scandinavian country, Denmark, said it would raise its defence spending by $5.9 billion over five years to boost its military capacity, pushing it past NATO’s spending target from this year.

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