Minister of Defense Odd Roger Enoksen (SP) is worried about delays and high costs in the Armed Forces.
“The state of the Armed Forces is not as it should be,” Enoksen said on Thursday.
“New material arrives later than planned, construction projects become more expensive (than expected), and we have challenges retaining and recruiting the right experts. This is worrying in the context of the current security policy situation and the invasion of Ukraine,” he warned.
Enoksen announced a broad review to assess which reprioritizations are necessary. Among other things, the government wants to strengthen the defense sector by NOK 3 billion in 2022 and prioritize national defense capability in the future.
Delayed and high costs
Several projects will be both delayed and more expensive than planned. This applies, among other things, to new submarines, which leads to increased operating costs and lower availability than planned.
The projects at Evenes and Ørlandet will also be more expensive than planned, and the problems with the NH90 helicopters have not been solved. According to the government, this presents challenges for the frigates and the Coast Guard. In addition, there are significant maintenance backlogs in construction.
Major consequences for Norwegian security
The press release also states that new combat aircraft and surveillance aircraft will strengthen the Armed Forces in the long term but that the transition will present challenges for operational capability.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has major consequences for Norwegian security. Russia has significant security interests in the north. It affects Norway and NATO,” Enoksen noted.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Nothing about civil defense/sivillforsvars, although Norway is *supposed* to be practicing Total Forsvars – total defense.