Norway establishes NATO amphibious warfare center in Sørreisa

By Atle Staalesen, The Independent Barents Observer December 2, 2024
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The training facility in northern Norway will have the capacity to house several hundred NATO soldiers, Norwegian Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram says.

The British amphibious landing ship Lyme Bay during exercise Cold Response in 2020. The warship might soon pay a visit to the new amphibious warfare center in Sørreisa. Photo: Emil Wenaas Larsen, Norwegian Armed Forces

“We have to train together in order to protect Norway, the Nordic region and NATO in crisis and war,” Gram said during a visit to Sørreisa this week.

A key issue during his stay in the north Norwegian municipality was the establishment of the allied amphibious warfare center.

The centre is to provide allies, including Americans, Brits and the Dutch, a dedicated facility for amphibious training in the Arctic.

Norway does itself not have amphibious forces, but several of the country’s main army units and special forces are based in the region.

“All together, the region is becoming an important and good arena for allied training,” he underlines in a comment.

The allied amphibious warfare center will have capacity to house several hundred soldiers and will include housing facilities, kitchens, and operative areas, the Norwegian Defence Ministry informs.

Sørreisa is located by the Reisa Fjord and has a population of about 3,500. It is from before a municipality with a strong military presence. The local airport is base for a Joint Air Operations Center (JAOC) and a Control and Reporting Centre (CRC).

“Sørreisa plays an important role in air operations [and] the establishment of the amphibious warfare center will strengthen the position of the municipality as a hub for NATO,” Defence Minister Gram says.

Following Russia’s full-scale attack of Ukraine and the country’s increasingly hostile position towards the Nordic countries and other NATO allies, the Norwegian Armed Forces have started a major refurbishment of the forces in northern Norway. In addition to acquisition of new armament and expansion of forces, almost 16 billion kroner (€1,37 billion) is being invested in bases and base facilities in the Troms region alone.

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