– Allied reinforcements are a prerequisite for the defense of Norway and must be prepared in peacetime. The Norwegian Armed Forces therefore developed an updated concept for receiving allied reinforcements in the event of crisis and war, and in the revised national budget the government assessed the consequences that the concept proposed by the Norwegian Armed Forces would have, writes the Ministry of Defense in a press release (external link).

In the current long-term plan, however, the expenses linked to the new reception concept have not been taken into account.

– It is therefore important that we return to the concrete level of ambition in the next long-term plan, the press release said.

In the concept, Andøya is defined as a civil airport with high military value, and Bodø is defined as a civil airport with medium-high military value. The Norwegian Armed Forces therefore wish to access certain infrastructure, operations and maintenance in Bodø and Andøya.

– The government anticipates that Andøya and Bodø will play a reserve role in the future ability of the Norwegian Armed Forces to receive allied reinforcements. This must be appropriately combined with public activities, airport operations and other commercial activities. The armed forces' need for infrastructure to accommodate allies must not hinder the urban development of Bodø, but must be addressed through dialogue between all stakeholders. In Andøya, the Ministry of Defense has not identified any conflicts between Defense needs and civilian commercial activities.