American families have settled in Vardø in connection with the upgrading of intelligence against Russia.
Altogether, there are now at least 14 US citizens residing in the municipality in connection with intelligence, NRK reports.
Leases of housing have been signed for possible rent for at least the next three years, and the children have started in schools. The military families from the United States have settled in Vardø to construct a new intelligence radar. Vardø is only 28 kilometers from Russia, close to the most important military facilities in the country on the Kola Peninsula.
Communications Manager Ann-Kristin Bjergene in the Intelligence Service confirms the new, permanent stationing of Americans.
In connection with the upgrading of the Globus system, there will be a need for technical personnel from the USA to be present for installation at times, he says to NRK.
Lieutenant Colonel Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense College expects reactions from Russia.
In principle, everything that deviates from a known pattern will be perceived as a provocation and a deviation. So what does not follow the long lines of Norwegian defense and security policy, and which breaks with the predictable signals that Norway sends to Russia.
He believes that it is not good Norwegian policy to allow an American settlement in Vardø.
“I think the best thing we could have done was was to send Norwegian operators to the US for training, so they could have done the job. Both Russia, the USA and Norway would have benefited from this.”
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
