Navy chases pirates again

A Norwegian frigate is back on duty off the east coast of Africa, joining international forces in an ongoing patrol against pirates in and around the Gulf of Aden. Members of Parliament were rushing through legislation this week about where to jail any pirates caught. The plan is to send captured pirates to prison in [...]

Controversial royal visit to weapons producer proceeded as planned

Crown Prince Haakon went ahead with his planned visit to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas this week amidst criticism back home in Norway. The visit had been criticized because of Lockheed Martin’s history of making cluster bombs and because it was seen as a “PR coup” for the huge defense contractor. The Royal [...]

NATO boss on whirlwind visit

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and members of the North Atlantic Council were making the rounds of Norwegian military installations, Arctic research centers, government ministers’ offices and the Royal Palace this week, on an official visit that included Liberation- and Veterans’ Day ceremonies on Wednesday. Climate change and military preparedness were on the agenda. [...]

Norway closer to drafting women

Norway’s Labour Party has become the latest to approve a measure promoting mandatory gender-neutral military service for young Norwegian citizens. It was the second-most debated issue at Labour’s national meeting over the weekend, and means women would be subject to compulsory military duty just as their male counterparts have been for years. Labour’s coalition government [...]

Still heroes, after all these years

Thursday marked the 70th anniversary of what some call Norway’s proudest moment during World War II, when Joachim Rønneberg and nine other Norwegian resistance fighters became the real-life “Heroes of Telemark” by sabotaging the heavy-water plant at Vemork. Rønneberg, the leader and last surviving member of the sabotage team, was back in Vemork this week [...]

Afghan interpreters granted asylum

The Norwegian justice ministry has granted asylum to 21 Afghan interpreters who worked for Norwegian forces during the NATO-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Taliban forces reportedly had threatened to execute them. “After a comprehensive evaluation, the ministry has decided that 21 of the applicants for asylum fulfill the requirements as refugees,” Pål Lønseth, [...]

Defense partying catches flak

Rooms at Oslo’s Grand Hotel and lavish social gatherings with free-flowing drinks: State officials and employees in charge of defense ministry real estate had to come to their own defense on Wednesday, after newspaper Aftenposten published details about allegedly frequent partying at taxpayer expense. News of the millions spent on accommodation, travel, entertainment and festive [...]

Norway won’t send soldiers to Mali

Norway’s coalition government has decided against joining an EU effort to help the military in Mali fight back against Islamist extremists. Coalition member SV (the Socialist Left party) was relieved, but the government isn’t ruling out participation in future military aid to Mali through the UN. The three Norwegian political parties making up the government [...]

Military boosts terror preparedness

Military bases all over Norway boosted their anti-terror security measures at the end of the week, based on what defense officials call a new  ”general threat evaluation.” They insisted there was nothing “dramatic” behind the higher security levels, while Norwegian media reported it was based on tips that weren’t shared with the police. Military officials [...]

Government split over aid to Mali

Norway’s coalition government is by no means united on a proposal to send Norwegian troops to Mali, to help allies fend off an Islamist insurgency. While government ministers from the dominant Labour Party are considering joining the French-led military effort, their partners are skeptical at best. Norway’s involvement would likely be limited to participation in [...]

Norway may join the battle in Mali

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who’s just spent the past week dealing with a crisis involving Norwegian hostages at an Algerian gas plant, is now considering sending Norwegian troops into neighbouring Mali, where many of the hostage-takers came from. Opposition politicians in the Norwegian Parliament appear to support such a move. Eide and Defense Minister [...]

Norwegian military forces involved in response to new Kabul bombings

Norwegian soldiers still stationed in and around Kabul took part Monday morning in the response to attacks on the headquarters for the local traffic police. The Norwegian military (Forsvaret) reported that they came to the aid of Afghan special forces. Two suicide bombers reportedly attacked the building in Kabul housing the traffic police around 6am [...]

Norwegians join insurgents’ fight

UPDATED: Norway’s military intelligence chief has confirmed that Norwegian citizens have traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, fought on the side of insurgents and even shot at NATO-led international troops that have included Norwegian soldiers. Their actions can lead to their arrest and imprisonment in Norway. On Wednesday, meanwhile, came news that a man from Fredrikstad [...]

Afghan pullout spurs debate, refugees

Six weeks after Norway officially withdrew most of its troops from Afghanistan, debate continues to rumble over the results of the country’s 11-year involvement in the war against terrorism and the Taliban. Norwegian authorities also reportedly now face asylum applications from scores of Afghans who worked for Norwegian defense forces. The debate began even before [...]

US admits to radiation incident

The Norwegian military reported on Tuesday that the US Navy had now confirmed that one of its vessels emitted radiation that injured crew members on board a Norwegian vessel while both were taking part in exercises in the Arctic last summer. “The American authorities have confirmed to us that they are responsible for what happened,” [...]

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