Norway's Minister of Defense: The Establishment of the NATO Air Operations Centre Is on Track
Last week, the Norwegian Minister of Defense, Tore O. Sandvik (Labor), visited the Armed Forces' base in Bodø, Northern Norway – and the upcoming temporary premises of the NATO combined air operations centre. Here he is photographed outside the Norwegian Aviation Museum. (Photo: Martin Steinholt).
Bodø, Northern Norway (High North News): The temporary premises of NATO's third Combined Air Operations Center will be ready at the Armed Forces' base in Bodø already in October. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik commends the progress.
"We have seen a construction area which will impressively meet all deadlines it was given," said Norwegian Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik (Labor) to High North News about his recent visit to the Norwegian Armed Forces' base in Bodø, in the immediate area of the city's airport.
Here, the temporary location for NATO's third Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) is currently under construction and will function as a workplace in the years to come – until the permanent premises are completed at the mountain facility in Reitan outside of Bodø.
Will be ready in October
The air operations center will solve missions for NATO already this fall. According to Sandvik, the plan is for the center to be operating by October, which is also the deadline set by NATO.
"When we received the mission, October was an ambitious goal – it is therefore very reassuring to hear from the Armed Forces and the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency that they are on track," said the minister and added:
"I want to commend the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency and the Armed Forces for managing such a quick delivery. This also makes me confident that we have structures and organisations in place to deliver on the long-term plan for the defense sector."
Bjørnar Skjæran (Labor), a Nordland parliament representative, and defense minister Tore O. Sandvik (Labor) outside the Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø
Northern dimension
The news of the CAOC being placed in Bodø was revealed in May.
The NATO center will have a particular responsibility for command and control in the airspace in the Nordic region and the High North. There are already similar centers in Germany and Spain.
Furthermore, the center in the North will be closely linked to the Joint Force Command Norfolk in the US, NATO's newest joint operational headquarters, which also has the North Atlantic and the Arctic in its area of responsibility.
"This bridges the northern dimension [within NATO, ed. note] closer together," emphasized Sandvik and continued:
"For the Nordic region, it's also beneficial that we are now integrating Sweden and Finland to an even higher degree in our region's formidable air force, with a whopping 250 fighters aircrafts. We now have more places to deploy and spread these. At the same time, we will have a joint air operations center. In the long term, this will strengthen unity in the Nordic region, in the North, and in NATO – making both the alliance and Norway safer."
No "reports of concern"
The Norwegian defense minister said that the meeting on Thursday last week did not include any 'reports of concern' regarding the recruitment of personnel from other NATO allies who will have the air operations center and Bodø as their workplace.
"Quite the contrary, many of the other countries are well underway with planning how many they can get there. Personnel will arrive successively as jobs become ready," said Sandvik.
About 200-450 people will be working at the center, including Norwegians and deployed workers from NATO, informs the Norwegian government.
"Norway is NATO's eyes in the North. It is therefore very important that we have a perspective based in the North," said parliament member Bjørnar Skjæran (Labor) about the new NATO CAOC to be established in Bodø.
With the new influx of NATO personnel, the housing need in Bodø has been identified as one of the tasks that must be solved, reported a.o. by Avisa Nordland.
When asked about possible concerns, the parliament representative for Nordland, Bjørnar Skjæran (Labor), replied that he is confident this can be solved.
"Industry players and the municipality are on it. The Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kjersti Stenseng (Labor), is now also facilitating the construction of housing to proceed more quickly. In addition, the Norwegian Armed Forces will also invest heavily in this type of infrastructure," he said and concluded:
"This establishment means a lot for Bodø. This not only makes Norway safer, but also has an upside for the local communities, in which there will be large investments in the years to come. In a security policy context, having strong local communities in the North is of great value."
About NATO's Combined Air Operations Center in Norway
- NATO's Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) is a regional headquarters for command and control of NATO's air forces in a geographical area.
- During NATO's defense minister meeting in February 2025, support was granted for a third air operations center to be established in Norway.
- NATO's air operations centers are responsible for planning, controlling, coordinating, surveilling, and supporting air operations with the assigned air assets in peace, crisis, and conflict.
- The air operations center in Norway will be responsible for command and control in the countries and sea areas that belong to NATO's Northwest Region.
- The investment costs for the air operations center alone are currently estimated at approximately NOK 4.8 billion.
- The long-term plan for the defense sector has taken into account that the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) at Reitan must be upgraded. The investment cost for the air operations center at Reitan is currently estimated at between NOK 6.7 and 9.4 billion.
- These estimates also include the planned upgrade of NJHQ.
- Part of these costs is covered by NATO.
Source: Regjeringen.no
