Russia invading Ukraine has undoubtedly caused fear and concern among people in Norway
and appears to heighten the urgency and tension to the sight of 30,000 NATO troops
conducting drills in Norway’s far north, which, after all, borders Russia.
Although Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated in a press release on February 24
that there is no indication the conflict will spread to Norway’s neighbouring areas,
Norwegian authorities are closely monitoring the situation to ensure
that no increased military activity has been observed along their borders with Russia.
Given that long-planned NATO drills in Norway are now taking place just miles away from the
Russian border in the Arctic, Norway alone has prepared a new military strategy to deter and
defeat Russian forces in the event of war by shoring up its northern garrison and investing
in its weapon systems such as submarines, stealth fighters, and surface-to-air missiles.
However, if Norway has a strong military and fears that Russia is a threat,
the question arises: are Norway’s efforts to deter Russia enough?
Hello everyone, welcome back to Military TV.
Today, we’re trying to discuss whether or not Norway is capable of deterring Russia.
If you’re curious about this topic, don’t go anywhere and stay tuned.
As part of the new strategy to better prepare for war, the Norwegian government
projects to add nearly $2 billion to the existing eight-year defense spending plan.
In recent years, Oslo has invested around $7 billion per year on its 23,000-person military.
With these investments, Norwegian Army’s northern brigade will be supported with the addition of
a battalion consisting of hundreds of troops. Moreover, the Army will receive around a hundred
new G5 armored personnel carriers from Germany to replace its aging M-113s built in the US.
The German G5 armored personnel carriers or APC itself came up as a concept to modernize
a venerable M113. This vehicle can protect against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters.
For an even higher level of protection, the add-on armor can be bolted onto the vehicle.
More interestingly, this vehicle also has an improved protection
that makes it more resistant to mine blasts and improvised explosive devices.
On the other hand, the preparation in terms of military weapon upgrade
is also bolstered in the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. This weapon system,
which uses a modified version of AIM-120 missile from the US, will be equipped with a new sensor.
Further to this, Oslo will purchase a new long-range and short-range air-defense systems
to supplement the combined force between Army and Air Force of approximately 72 medium-range NASAMS
launchers. This NASAMS is specially designed and developed jointly by Raytheon and Kongsberg
Defense and Aerospace for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. It features a network centric,
open architecture that offers an increased survivability against electronic countermeasures.
The missile system can engage 72 targets simultaneously in active and passive modes.
It is also fitted with AMRAAM launchers, a passive electro-optic, infra-red sensor,
hard-real-time communication network, and an embedded and standalone mission planning tool.
Beside the new G5 armored personnel carriers mentioned before,
the Norwegian Navy is also receiving four new Type 212 submarines from Germany, replacing their six
older vessels. The Type 212 class is a current generation of German submarine which has a strong
reputation as a reliable and advanced submarine. This is primarily due to the submarine’s ability
to operate at high speed on diesel power or switch to the AIP system for silent slow cruising,
allowing it to stay submerged for up to three weeks with little exhaust heat.
The system is also known to be vibration-free, extremely quiet,
and nearly unnoticeable. In addition, it has a highly integrated command and
weapons control system that interfaces with sensors, weapons, and navigation systems.
These upgrades, therefore, are expected to lengthen the service lives of the Norwegian
fleet’s four Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and six Skjold-class corvettes. However,
the fleet will not replace Helge Ingstad, a fifth frigate which ran aground and sank in 2018.
The ship was raised by salvagers, but the government determined that it was not cost
effective to repair it. It is unclear how Norway will make up for the loss of this Helge Ingstad,
leading the US think-tank RAND to suggest that it should try.
This is mainly because Norway is a major coastal and maritime nation that relies on control of
sea lines of communication for both allied reinforcements as well as economic function.
Therefore, according to RAND, NATO officials even advised Oslo to at least consider purchasing
unmanned surface vessels. However, no further decision was made by Norway, leaving this
loss a de facto 20-percent reduction to the fleet’s major open-ocean surface combatants.
Regardless of this issue, in support of effort in new military strategy for deterring Russia, the
Norway Air Force also plans to attain 52 units of F-35A stealth fighters to replace its older F-16s,
as well as five P-8 patrol planes replacing the P-3Cs.
Norway has also decided to invest in NATO’s new fleet of up to nine A330 aerial tankers.
However, RAND urged the Norwegian Defense Ministry to use the F-35s in novel ways.
The main reason for this is that the F-35A involves a major advancement not only for
Norwegian air power, but also for how situational awareness, low observability, and sensor as well
as data fusion will enable future operations in all domains. Thus, allied officials highlighted
the significance of Norway continuing to experiment with new concepts, such as linking the
aircraft with land- and sea-based capabilities, in order to boost the full potential of F-35.
Overall, with such efforts in upgrading its military strategy and weapon systems,
it seems that Norway is well-prepared to deterring Russia.
Another interesting point to note is that Norway and Sweden are now joining forces to further
strengthen their defense cooperation, while Sweden also considers joining NATO. For these reasons,
Norway will be capable of defeating Russia in the event of war. But what do you think?
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