Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen (Høyre/Right Party) will visit US naval bases next week and meet US Defense Minister Mark Esper.
“The United States is our most important ally. We have a long and close relationship that we want to develop further. It is central to that they know about the challenges we have in our neighborhood, and that we continue the good cooperation,” he says in a statement.
The visit will last from 25 – 27 September. Bakke-Jensen and Prime Minister Erna Solberg will, on one of the days, visit the military airport of the Norwegian pilots for the new P8 maritime surveillance aircraft.
Bakke-Jensen will also visit the Norfolk naval base and one of the High Commands in NATO’s military command structure, Allied Command Transformation. On Friday, Bakke-Jensen will attend a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
Since June, Norway has considered a US request to participate in an international naval force to secure shipping traffic in the Gulf of Persia.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
