NATO aims for member states to spend around 2 percent of their gross national product (GDP) on defence. Norway currently stands at 1.43 per cent.
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) confirms this in a comment to Dagbladet. This means that Norway is about NOK 32 billion short of the NATO target, according to Gram.
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Does not meet NATO targets
Gram also confirms to Dagbladet that Norway is also not meeting the NATO requirement for a mechanized brigade.
– NATO has asked Norway to strengthen the Army, he admits to Dagbladet.
That is why Norway must now strengthen the Armed Forces considerably, the Minister of Defense continues.
– This means that we will invest in more heavy equipment such as tanks.
SEVERAL YEARS AWAY: It is not until 2026 that Norway will meet the NATO requirement for a mechanized brigade. Photo: Rodrigo Freitas / NTB
sea view
Nato: This is going slowly
Even with these investments, Norway is still three years away from fulfilling the NATO requirement related to a mechanized brigade.
Norway will not reach the target until 2026. Gram confirms that.
– With the decisions that are now in place, including the phasing in of combat air defence, investment in new tanks and the establishment of a fourth maneuver battalion from 2026, Norway will meet the overall demands placed on us by NATO, he says.
He admits that the NATO summits have made it clear that the build-up of the Norwegian defense is going too slowly.
– NATO’s assessment is that Norway has taken important steps to fulfill the requirements for Norway, through the plans that have been laid, but that we would like to make the build-up a little faster, says Gram.
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Next week he will travel to Brussels to be present at a two-day NATO defense minister’s meeting.
Norway is among the countries that have promised to send tanks to Ukraine, but the government has not wanted to say how many or when they will be delivered.
Nor does Gram make any promises about what Ukraine currently has at the top of its wish list, namely combat aircraft.
Left-wing Guri Melby told Dagbladet this week that she has no principled problems with Norway, together with allies, ensuring that Ukraine’s air defense is reinforced with combat aircraft.