by Niamh Harris, The Peoples Voice:
Norway plans to establish a new NATO hub in Sorreisa, near Russia’s key port of Murmansk, with the aim of helping to prepare the US-led military bloc’s troops for amphibious assaults
The the Defense Ministry in Oslo announced on Friday that new amphibious warfare center is where US, British, and Dutch marines will be trained amid heightened tensions with Russia,
The centre is expected to be ready by 2026.
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RT reports: The new hub will be created in the municipality of Sorreisa north of Lofoten in Norway’s Arctic, some several hundred kilometers, as the crow flies, from Russia’s strategic port of Murmansk, which is a key military and naval base.
The NATO member’s facility will house several hundred soldiers and is expected to become fully operational in 2026.
“We must train together to be able to defend Norway, the Nordic countries and NATO in crisis and war,” Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said, adding that his country is now “in a more serious security policy situation.”
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,” he stated.
The new center will have close links with several nearby military facilities, which the minister claimed will be extremely useful for NATO.
The announcement comes after the Norwegian government presented a plan this spring for a historic increase in defense spending, with the aim of spending $54 billion on the military from 2024 to 2036.
As part of the package, Oslo also wants to acquire its first long-range air defense system and expand the army from one to three brigades, while boosting the size of the Home Guard to 45,000 troops.
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