Page 20 - Norwegian Special Report

Reshaping Norwegian Defense

“We should plug and play in terms of our new capabilities; but that will not happen by itself, by simply
adding new equipment.

“It will be hard work.

https://forsvaret.no/en/exercise-and-operations/exercises/nato-exercise-2018

“We have regular exercises in Norway like the Arctic Challenge Exercise, which is an exercise building on the
weekly trilateral fighter training between Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

“In May/June 2017 this invitex will see more than one hundred fighter aircraft from 8 nations, including the
UK and US, participating in high quality training in the Nordic countries.

“You also have other national exercises which are important in shaping our concepts of operations.

“We need to enhance engagement with core NATO allies, such as expanding our working relationship with
allied airpower operating in Norway during exercises.

“We would love to see a UK F-35B squadron and a USAF F-35A deploy to Norway during an exercise and
operate in the northern part of Norway under Norwegian command and control to see how we can get them
to work together.

“They might fly either from home bases with air-to-air tanker or stage from Norway, and work on how we
effectively can integrate those squadrons during joint operations.”
Brigadier General Jan Ove Rygg: “The C2 issue is really a strategic one.

“We are very good at the tactical level in operating in a joint context with our C2; we need to be as capable
at the strategic level.

“With the fifth generation force, you have capabilities to off-board weapons and to direct fire from sea or
land as well as air.
“When you try to do targeting and actually engage targets with different resources it is a challenge.

“How do we shape a C2 structure, which can take advantage of this capability?

For an interesting overview of the way ahead, see the following:

http://cms.polsci.ku.dk/events/airpower2014/Gjert_Lage_Dyndal.pdf

Gjert_Lage_Dyndal

Second Line of Defense

Page 19