Earlier in August, the US Armed Forces logistics leadership visited Norway, Sweden and Finland to gain a deeper understanding of the region in regard to geography, logistics and host country support.
Logistics planning for operations in the northern parts of the three countries was an overarching focus for the tour, says the Deputy Commander of the Norwegian Defense Logistical Organisation, Brigadier Morten Line Anderssen, to High North News.
Deputy Commander of the Norwegian Defense Logistical Organisation, Brigadier Morten Line Anderssen. (Photo: Torgeir Haugaard / the Norwegian Armed Forces)
“The High North was largely the running theme of the visit. We discussed transport axes from west to south, and which areas could be suitable for prestockage of materiel and which are otherwise central in the logistics planning to conduct operations in the North,” says Anderssen.
According to him, the US military logistics leadership annually conduct a tour to one of their operational areas to get a better understanding of it. 15 years have passed since the last visit of this kind was made to the northern Nordic region.
“From the Norwegian side, we spent a lot of time making them more familiar with Norway’s role as a frontline state toward Russia, and as a transit area for US and other allied forces into Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states, providing them with insight into the Nordic military logistics cooperation.
Possibilities for American investments
Norway, Sweden and Finland all have new agreements with the US on bilateral defense cooperation (DCA), which naturally functioned as an important framework for the American delegation’s tour.
The US-Norway Supplementary Defense Cooperation Agreement (SDCA) was updated to include additional agreed areas in June 2024. The agreement provides US forces with unimpeded access to and use of a total of 12 military areas on Norwegian soil.
Six of these are in Northern Norway: Andøya, Evenes and Bardufoss air stations, Setermoen garrison (including the firing and exercise range), Ramsund Naval Base, and the Osmarka mountain facility in Evenes municipality.
Was there any talk of possible American investments in infrastructure in the North?
“In our dialogue about the SDCA, we used what is happening at Rygge Air Station as an illustration of how far this cooperation has come and what opportunities exist. Furthermore, we discussed opportunities in all the agreed areas encompassed by the agreement,” replies Anderssen.
The US invests about NOK 2 billion in the construction of facilities for the reception of US fighters at Rygge Air Station, Southern Norway. The construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, and the infrastructure will be Norway’s property with the right of use for US forces.