NATO Member Announces Opening of New Arctic Warfare Base
Norway is set to create an amphibious center dedicated to training NATO marines. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Norway is set to establish a new NATO Arctic and amphibious warfare center in Sorreisa, intended for the training of US, British, and Dutch marines amid rising tensions with Russia, as announced by officials from the Defense Ministry in Oslo on Friday.
This new facility will be located in Sorreisa, a municipality situated north of Lofoten in Norway's Arctic region, just several hundred kilometers from Russia's strategic port of Murmansk, which serves as a vital military and naval base.
The center is designed to accommodate several hundred soldiers and is anticipated to be fully operational by 2026.
“We must train together to be able to defend Norway, the Nordic countries and NATO in crisis and war,” explained Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram, who noted that Norway is now “in a more serious security policy situation.”
The minister further expressed, “We want an increased allied presence in Norway. More training and practice is good for Norwegian security. We need allies to be familiar with the Norwegian climate and weather conditions. We also need to practice together in case the need arises. So this is a desirable development.”
The new center will be closely linked with several military facilities in the vicinity, a connection that the minister claimed would be invaluable for NATO.
This announcement follows the Norwegian government's spring proposal for a significant increase in defense spending, with plans to allocate $54 billion for military purposes from 2024 to 2036.
Included in this defense package, Oslo aims to acquire its first long-range air defense system, expand its army from one to three brigades, and raise the Home Guard's troop numbers to 45,000.
In response to these developments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signaled in September that Moscow would counter NATO's expansionist efforts in the region, stating, “We see how NATO is stepping up exercises related to possible crises in the Arctic. Our country is fully prepared to defend its interests in military, political and military-technical terms.”
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
This new facility will be located in Sorreisa, a municipality situated north of Lofoten in Norway's Arctic region, just several hundred kilometers from Russia's strategic port of Murmansk, which serves as a vital military and naval base.
The center is designed to accommodate several hundred soldiers and is anticipated to be fully operational by 2026.
“We must train together to be able to defend Norway, the Nordic countries and NATO in crisis and war,” explained Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram, who noted that Norway is now “in a more serious security policy situation.”
The minister further expressed, “We want an increased allied presence in Norway. More training and practice is good for Norwegian security. We need allies to be familiar with the Norwegian climate and weather conditions. We also need to practice together in case the need arises. So this is a desirable development.”
The new center will be closely linked with several military facilities in the vicinity, a connection that the minister claimed would be invaluable for NATO.
This announcement follows the Norwegian government's spring proposal for a significant increase in defense spending, with plans to allocate $54 billion for military purposes from 2024 to 2036.
Included in this defense package, Oslo aims to acquire its first long-range air defense system, expand its army from one to three brigades, and raise the Home Guard's troop numbers to 45,000.
In response to these developments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signaled in September that Moscow would counter NATO's expansionist efforts in the region, stating, “We see how NATO is stepping up exercises related to possible crises in the Arctic. Our country is fully prepared to defend its interests in military, political and military-technical terms.”
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
