Sharpens requirements for the sale of defense equipment

OSLO.Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide .Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix

Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide warns of stricter rules for sales of used military equipment. Defense gets harsh criticism in Parliament for past practices.

The tightening that Eriksen Søreide announced on Thursday, will in practice prevent the sale of major military equipment to private operators.
– Sale of licensed subject material abroad should preferably be exported only to approved National authorities and actors with approved authority  in the recipient country, she says.
Any such sale abroad will still require the Defence Ministry approval. The intention is to ensure greater control over who buys discarded equipment.
The Minister explained the measures when Parliament considered the matter from SCSCA about Armed disposal of used and discarded military equipment.

End Use

The end is thus set for a  year and a half of control work.
– We feel that we now have put in place, or will be putting in place, better control than there has been for many years, says Eriksen Søreide said.
She also considers the cessation of all auction sales of merchandise such as wagons, tracked vehicles and larger vessels, to contribute to the control of user and end use.
The defense minister has also decided that all future sales of stock through a broker must be approved by her department in each case.
– I’ve also decided that all sales in Norway to foreign players are treated as sales to a foreign entity, says Eriksen Søreide, who received broad support from Parliament for the measures.
Meanwhile, she emphasizes that the reduction in sales would result in lower revenues and higher costs of storage and disposal of materials.
The limits will be specified in the 2017 budget this autumn. Military material was sold for 144 millions in 2014 and 44.7 millions last year.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today