Norway’s Army Chief: No Practical Indications That the US Is Less Interested in Norway
Chief of the Norwegian Army, Major General Lars Lervik, at the Army Summit seminar at UiT, the Arctic University of Norway. The seminar was organized by the Army, the Norwegian Atlantic Committee, and its youth organization YATA. (Photo: Astri Edvardsen)
Tromsø, Northern Norway (High North News): Donald Trump has created uncertainty around the US security guarantee, but the practical defense cooperation with the Americans is stable, according to the Chief of the Norwegian Army. Next year's major winter exercise in the High North is expected to have significant US participation.
How should Norway relate to the US after President Donald Trump has created uncertainty around the country's role as a security guarantor?
This was among the questions adressed at the Army Summit seminar in Tromsø last week, at which the Norwegian Army Chief, Major General Lars Lervik, was present.
"The US is without a doubt the most important and most capable military power in NATO. It is not up to me to decide how we are to relate to the US. But what I can say is the following: When I talk to my American colleagues, they are clear on the fact that they will be there. They are also more concerned with thinking long-term than they were 2-3 years ago," says Lervik and continues:
"This winter, around 3000 American soldiers were exercising in Northern Norway. Even more will be present here in Troms county for next year's major winter exercise. And now, an American aircraft carrier is sailing into the Oslo fjord after training in the North. I am concerned with what the Americans actually do, and there is nothing in practice that points to the US being less interested in Norway militarily."
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The upcoming major exercise
The major winter exercise of 2026 is titled Cold Response, and the Army Chief provided High North News with some insight into how it will be organized.
"The exercise will be somewhat two-part. One part will take place in Norway and its associated airspace and sea areas, with Bardufoss and Skibotn [in Northern Norway, ed. note] as the main area for the land operations. The second part will take place in Northern Finland. It will be an interwoven exercise, but not like during Nordic Response 2024, when we crossed the border to each other. This has to do with resources, among other things," says Lervik.
"About 15,000 soldiers from many NATO countries will be participating. There will be extensive activity both on land, at sea, and in the air," he adds.
Nordic integration
The Nordic defense cooperation was also an important topic at the army seminar in Tromsø.
The Army Chief presented a map of a borderless Nordic region, containing an overview of central roads and the location of Norway, Sweden, and Finland's most important army units.
While the majority of Swedish and Finnish army forces are concentrated in the south, most of the Norwegian land forces are gathered in the North.
Norway, Sweden, and Finland as a borderless landscape with significant road connections and land forces. (Map: the Norwegian Army)
You have pointed out that this distribution of land forces entails that Norway must be prepared to take on a great responsibility for the defense of the Northern Nordic region . To what degree is this reflected in the ongoing development of the Nordic defense cooperation?
"When we sit down in the Nordic circle, we look at how we should coordinate the resources we now have and those we will have in the future. Norway is now significantly strengthening the Army in the North, and this is in recognition of the fact that we must take greater responsibility in this region. Part of this picture is also Norway's purchase of new frigates from the United Kingdom, which was recently decided," Lervik responds and continues:
"What Finland and Sweden chose to do with their defenses is up to them. Currently, we are coordinating much more closely with regard to operational planning. I will soon be going to Rovaniemi to talk to the army chiefs in Finland and Sweden about this very thing."
Still in progress
In June, it was announced that Norway will participate in NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Northern Finland. Sweden is set to be the framework nation for the FLF, which will also include contributions from France, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Iceland.
The details on how this force will be organized have not yet been clarified, according to the Norwegian Army Chief.
"I will probably hear more about the status of this work when I meet my colleagues in Finland and Sweden," says Lervik, elaborating on the Norwegian position:
"Norway will contribute to the force, but probably not to any great extent. The most important thing we are doing to signal that NATO intends to defend its borders is to build up our own capacity and facilitate that allies continue to train and practice here."
