Norway: The Defender of NATO’s Northern Flank
As a founding member, Norway is a NATO cornerstone to maintaining peace in the High North. Norway’s ability to balance its NATO membership with other regional relationships, including its practical relationship with Russia, has promoted regional stability and peace in the region.
This balance is an essential factor as NATO postures to deter strategic competition in Europe and growing interests in the Arctic. Although the Royal Norwegian Air Force is relatively small in size, it is an impressive, highly capable, interoperable, and technologically advanced force that NATO depends on. This year, as we celebrate the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s 75th anniversary, the United States is grateful for one of our closest allies and NATO’s defender of the Northern Flank.
The Royal Norwegian Air Force has a shared heritage with the United States Air Force, as both were created by leaders who understood the strategic importance of airpower. For both countries, the dimensions and utility of airpower as a deterrent have changed as a result of rising threats and technological advancements. The formation of NATO ignited a significant evolution in the use of airpower for both air forces, becoming a critical deterrent throughout the Cold War.
Common heritage
Our Air Forces developed a close relationship after the German occupation of Norway in 1940. As in the United States, World War II solidified the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s role as a separate military component. After the Royal Norwegian Air Force was formally established, the United States worked closely with Norway, providing the latest air power technology and support. Today, we proudly share a common heritage which spans an evolution of aircraft generations, including the F-84 Thunderjet, F-86 Sabre, F-104 Starfighter, F-5 Freedom Fighters, F-16 Viper, C-130 Hercules, and most recently the revolutionary F-35 Lightning II. As a staunch ally, the Royal Norwegian Air Force has contributed to numerous military operations across Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Operations ALLIED FORCE, ENDURING FREEDOM, and ODYSSEY DAWN. The professional and personal ties between our Airmen were critical to the successful execution of these individual campaigns.
Personal and professional relationships
We also share a long tradition of combined professional military education, training, and exercises. Each year, well over 300 Norwegian Airmen travel to the United States for training and educational exchanges with their American counterparts. The Air Command and Staff College and Air War College in Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, proudly educate Royal Norwegian Air Force officers at the Master’s level. For decades, Norwegian F-16 pilots have trained alongside the United States at Tucson Air National Guard Base in Arizona. At Luke Air Force Base, they are flying the new F-35 alongside other international partners, revolutionizing tactics in 5th-Generation fighter aircraft. The Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas hosts instructors and students from the Royal Norwegian Air Force, bolstering NATO’s current and future airpower capabilities. Exchange pilots from the United States and the Royal Norwegian Air Force switch patches and become members of the others’ squadrons, fully integrating with their fellow aviators. Without question, these training and education opportunities contribute to lasting personal and professional relationships that serve to strengthen the Airman-to-Airman bond.
NATO’s presence in the High North
It is this Airman-to-Airman bond that played an important role in the success of Trident Juncture 2018—the largest NATO exercise in nearly 30 years—and serves to highlight the importance of Norway as an ally. As the exercise host, Norway accommodated 50,000 military personnel from 31 countries and provided a challenging—often extreme—exercise environment across land, sea and air domains. The event solidified NATO’s presence, cohesiveness, and interoperability in the High North. Continuing the efforts to enhance our combat readiness, this summer’s Arctic Challenge 2019 exercise provided yet another opportunity for NATO and Partnership for Peace members to train in a high-quality, high-stress environment in the strategically important Arctic Circle.
Assured access, freedom of navigation, and stability in the High North strongly depend on Norway’s continued credible and lethal defense capabilities
Outstanding intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities
Today, the United States and Norway remain as close as ever. We collaborate on a host of important regional security challenges, including Russian aggression and efforts to destabilize long-standing European partnerships. These provocative actions, including the 2014 annexation of Crimea, underscore the importance of the NATO alliance, its deterrence posture and enduring wartime readiness.
As global climate change extends seasonal access to the Northern Sea Route, strategic competition and interest in the Arctic will continue to increase. Russia is rapidly expanding its naval fleet and revamping infrastructure along its northern coast. To further complicate today’s High North environment, China claims itself a “near-Arctic nation” and desires to establish an Arctic Silk Route. Generally considered a region of peace, stability in the Arctic today is increasingly threatened.
Assured access, freedom of navigation, and stability in the High North strongly depend on Norway’s continued credible and lethal defense capabilities. Equally important, regional security relies on the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s outstanding intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. With an extraordinary intelligence operations structure, Norway contributes greatly as a highly dependable source of information to the United States and NATO. As a recent CBS report summarized, Norway “…serves as the eyes and ears in the High North.”1
Speak softly and carry a big stick
Looking to the future, the ongoing modernization of much of the Royal Norwegian Air Force fleet highlights Norway’s commitment to the most technologically advanced NATO-interoperable equipment. The recent acquisition of P-8s—the largest military sales case in a generation—will significantly enhance maritime patrol and deterrence efforts along the Norwegian coastline, the North Atlantic, and Barents Sea. The new and growing F-35 fleet guarantees NATO’s upper hand in the region and 5th generation interoperability.
Theodore Roosevelt once stated, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” Norway’s ability to maintain a peaceful relationship with Russia while strengthening its air force’s hardware, exemplifies the spirit of Roosevelt’s wisdom. The Royal Norwegian Air Force is on point in the north and underwrites regional and international stability while securing the global commons.
On this 75th Anniversary, the United States and NATO pay tribute to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, one of our closest, most capable, and committed allies. Our history continues to be written with common themes developed through close personal and professional relationships, cultural similarities, interoperable equipment, and most importantly, a strong desire to preserve peace and protect alliance security interests.
