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 […]
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 […]
Sunken frigate finally being raised
February 26, 2019
After months of delays, efforts finally got underway during the night to raise the wreckage of the sunken Norwegian frigate KNM Helge Ingstad just off Norway’s West Coast. The complex and expensive operation remains threatened by heavy seas, wind gusts and a critical point when massive cranes lift the once-proud vessel from its current forlorn position. […]
Norway’s defense under attack itself
February 19, 2019
Norway’s military and defense establishment was under attack on a variety of fronts this week. Not only is NATO stepping up demands as calls increase for much more defense spending and preparedness by Norway, a new report reveals widespread sexual harassment and even rape among Norwegian troops. Defense chief Haakon Bruun-Hanssen was angry and he […]
Navy accused of another near-crash
February 12, 2019
One of Norway’s major ferry firms, Fjord1, claims that one of its vessels was nearly rammed by one of the Norwegian Navy’s corvettes at high speed last November. Fjord1 has objected to how Navy officials allegedly downplayed the incident afterwards. Fjord1 has sent a report to the Norwegian Maritime Authority (Sjøfartsdirektoratet), claiming that the “near-miss” […]
Russia pretended to attack Vardø radar
February 12, 2019
Russian fighter jets, flying in attack formation, headed straight for the far northern town of Vardø on a winter’s day last year, simulating an attack on the military surveillance radar station based there. They veered away just before entering Norwegian air space, in a move seen as aimed at intimidation. Lt Gen Morten Haga Lunde, […]
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