In 2016, the National Audit Office presented a report that revealed serious shortcomings in the Norwegian Armed Forces frigates. In 2022 there are still significant challenges with ships, the National Court of Auditors wrote in a statement.
The frigate’s strength still has skills and personnel challenges, maintenance backlogs, and access to spare parts and ammunition, according to the National Audit Office.
The consequences are significant, the press release states.
The staff situation is marginal and this places a high burden on the staff. Challenges with spare parts still lead to “cannibalization,” meaning that parts are taken from one ship to be used on another, the investigation reveals.
Each frigate cost several billion when it was handed over to the Norwegian defense forces between 2006 and 2011 and is considered the backbone of the navy.
The main conclusion in 2016 was that the frigate’s weapon did not have the operational capability expected by the Storting. The main reasons were maintenance backlogs and challenges with spare parts, ammunition and personnel. The ships also lacked one of their most important capabilities, the NH90 helicopters, which according to the Ministry of Defense would not be operational until 2020.
– Today we see that improvements have been made, but that many of the challenges are still valid. It goes beyond the operational capability of the frigate’s weapon and is very serious, says Auditor General Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen in the press release.
This infuriates Seher Aydar (Red) on the Storting Control and Constitution Committee.
– We are in a situation where the gas pipes in our immediate vicinity have been attacked and where the Norwegian maritime infrastructure is considered the largest sabotage target in the world. And then Norway is left with four frigates without helicopters, without enough personnel, which must be cannibalized for the spare parts that have gone out of production, she says.
Eriksen, a member of the Labor Party’s monitoring and constitutional committee, also reacts strongly.
– It is untenable that in the years since 2016 they have not been able to bring the frigates in the necessary and foreseen conditions. This is reinforced by the current security policy situation, he says.
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) says he “made sure that the frigates sailed more than previously thought, despite missing a ship”. This was revealed by a press release from the government.
According to the government, they have established a new plan to acquire sea helicopters as quickly as possible.
– We are evaluating different options to speed up the procurement process and we are also studying temporary solutions, writes the government in a press release.
– Our daily operations in the surrounding areas are carried out satisfactorily. In addition, Norway regularly participates in NATO standing maritime groups and sails internationally with close allies. We get good feedback from our allies, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
