The Norwegian Navy’s ill-fated frigate KNM Helge Ingstad was refloated this week, just six weeks after the sunken vessel was raised from the waters of the Hjeltefjord northwest of Bergen. Members of Parliament, meanwhile, have called for an investigation into the salvage operation itself, because of concerns over how it was carried out and its […]
Labour celebrated Jens and Gro
April 8, 2019
Jens Stoltenberg had just turned 60 and addressed the US Congress, while the woman who propelled his political career and went on to lead the UN’s World Health Organization, Gro Harlem Brundtland, will turn 80 later this month. What better opportunity for the Norwegian Labour Party to hail two of its most internationally famous former […]
‘Jens’ charms Trump and NATO at 70
April 3, 2019
NEWS ANALYSIS: Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg has always been known as a likeable guy, from his years as a radical young politician through his three terms as Norway’s prime minister. Now, as secretary general of NATO, the man Norwegians still refer to simply as “Yens” has also managed to charm US President Donald Trump and thus […]
Three face blame for frigate collision
April 3, 2019
No charges have been filed yet, but the police investigation into the spectacular collision between a Norwegian frigate and an oil tanker last fall is now targeting three people. They’re all believed to have played “central roles” in the maritime drama. “These are the three who were responsible for the three entities involved,” Ole Bjørn […]
Cyber attacks high on defense agenda
March 20, 2019
Norway’s defense minister had the threat of cyber attacks high on his agenda when he met with foreign correspondents in Oslo earlier this week, and that was before news broke of the massive attack on industrial concern Norsk Hydro. Frank Bakke-Jensen referred to cyberspace as the new battleground that potentially poses more challenges than the […]
Defense minister heads into battle
March 19, 2019
“I’m a peaceful guy,” Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen told foreign corespondents in Oslo on Monday. As he headed into the government’s first major talks about next year’s state budget on Tuesday, however, he needed to fight for as much funding as possible at a time when Norway’s defense capacity is under severe pressure and […]
Hydro comes under major cyber attack
March 19, 2019
One of Norway’s biggest companies, Norsk Hydro, was battling the biggest cyber attack in its history Tuesday morning. National security authorities were called in to help and were in “tight dialogue” with Hydro. Hydro, a major international aluminum producer, revealed the attack itself in a message to the Oslo Stock Exchange early Tuesday. The company […]
Forlorn frigate may sail once again
March 4, 2019
The once-proud Norwegian frigate KNM Helge Ingstad is finally back at home port in Bergen, severely gashed and rusting after four months underwater. Raising the sunken frigate, which collided with an oil tanker in early November, has already cost taxpayers dearly and now government officials want to repair it so it can sail again. Naval officers […]
Plans change for frigate salvage
February 27, 2019
After a day of slowly raising the sunken frigate KNM Helge Ingstad out of the Hjelte Fjord, there’s been a change of plan. Fears of rougher seas and weather are prompting salvage crews to now move the wreckage 30 kilometers south to the other side of the fjord, where waters are expected to be calmer. […]
Military faces largest fine ever
February 26, 2019
Norway’s defense department has been having a miserable time of late. Now it also faces the biggest punitive fine ever issued against it, following a mine-clearing accident in 2017 that killed a 21-year-old soldier. Hågen Skattum, a young sergeant from Voss, died instantly when 11 kilos of explosives blew up in his hands during a […]
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