Norway Allows US Military to Build on Its Soil

The land border between Russia and Norway, located between Sør-Varanger, Norway, and Pechengsky District, Russia. (Wikimedia Commons)

Norway relayed that it had signed a revised agreement with its NATO ally the United States on April 16 regarding its military presence on Norwegian soil. Though it does not permit the establishment of new, separate U.S. bases, the agreement will allow the United States to build military facilities at three Norwegian airfields and one naval base.

The Norwegian government, led by the leader of the Conservative Party and Norwegian prime Minister Erna Solberg, signed the revised agreement that would allow for more rapid U.S. reinforcement of Norway should any crisis or war begin, particularly on the Arctic border it shares with Russia.

U.S. B-1 strategic bombers arrived in Norway in February, marking the first time U.S. planes were operated in the Scandinavian country. Since joining NATO at its founding in 1949, Norway has said it would not allow foreign bases to be established in its territory during times of peace, but it has allowed Western soldiers to conduct exercises within its territory.

Relations between Norway and Russia had been gradually improving in the post-Cold War era until they dramatically declined in 2014 due to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. Since then, the two neighboring countries have engaged in their own military build-ups on either side of the border in preparation for potential conflict. However, the two have had to cooperate with economic and migratory realities like cross-border travel and fisheries.

Satellite images showed the amassment of Russian military buildup in the Arctic in early April. Recently, Western experts have expressed concern about a certain Russian “superpower” called the Poseidon 2M39 that Russian mechanics designed to “sneak past coastal defenses,” like those of the U.S. under the sea. Due to their refitting of old Cold War bases and establishment of even new facilities on the Kola Peninsula, one senior State Department official told CNN, “There’s clearly a military challenge from the Russians in the Arctic.”

Specifically, the satellite images demonstrated the strengthening of particular airfields in the region over the last five years. While these bases technically operate within the confines of Russian state territory, U.S. officials have considered it a chance for Russia to take control of the “Northern Sea Route,” a shipping lane that runs from between Russia and Alaska and the North Atlantic.

In response to the newly signed agreement, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken remarked that the action reflects the United States’s “commitment to reaffirming and reinvigorating America’s alliances to meet common security challenges and protect shared interests and values.” Similarly, on the Norwegian side, Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide stated, “Our cooperation with our allies is under continuous development. The agreement reaffirms Norway's close relationship with the U.S. and confirms Norway's key position on the northern flank of NATO.”

The Norwegian Parliament—called the “Sorting”—must officially vote to pass the new agreement.