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Why Is US Storing New Tanks in Hidden Norwegian Caves?
The Local ^ | 19 Feb 2016

Posted on 02/21/2016 10:02:29 PM PST by nickcarraway

once dormant Cold War era caves are being restocked by the US Marines.

Russian spying can 'damage' Norway: PST (10 Feb 16) US Marines are using Cold War era Norwegian caves to store new tanks, artillery and other military equipment to ramp up their presence near the Nato-Russia border, CNN reported on Thursday

"Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crisis, so we're able to fall in on gear that is ready-to-go and respond to whatever that crisis may be," Col. William Bentley, said in a Marine video posted to Facebook:

According to a Marines statement, the military began using the caves to store military equipment in 1981. When Cold War tensions subsided, the US military transferred the costs of maintaining the caves to Norway, Magnus Nordenman, the director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told CNN.

But with Russia flexing its muscles in the region, the cave complex is now back in active use. Nordenman told CNN that the caves hold enough equipment to support some 15,000 Marines.

Heather Conley, the director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Europe Program, told CNN that given the tense current relationship between Nato and Russia, northern Europe is now being viewed as a “theatre of operations”.

"Now that we have a very new security context with Russia, it now makes sense to rethink what is needed," she said.

Russian aggression in the Nordics has been an ongoing concern for Norway and its neighbours in recent years.

In 2015, it was revealed that Russia rehearsed military takeovers of northern Norway, the Swedish island of Gotland and the Danish island of Bornholm.

Norwegian, Swedish and Danish intelligence services have all reported that Russia is one of the biggest threats in the region.

Just last week, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) singled Russian spying out as having major “damage potential” for Norwegian interests.

The Marines statement said that more than 16,000 troops will use equipment stored in the Norwegian caves later this month for cold weather training exercises.

The Marines have released video showing the Norwegian army assisting the Americans in learning how to best operate tanks and Amphibious Assault Vehicles in icy conditions.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: norway
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1 posted on 02/21/2016 10:02:29 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

2 posted on 02/21/2016 10:03:01 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

3 posted on 02/21/2016 10:03:05 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Because it would be silly to park the old thanks there?


4 posted on 02/21/2016 10:12:47 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: nickcarraway

A cave is a grave.


5 posted on 02/21/2016 10:18:28 PM PST by null and void (This is "They live", and most people would rather fight you than put on the glasses...)
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To: nickcarraway

How about the Norgs park their own tanks in those caves?


6 posted on 02/21/2016 10:23:50 PM PST by ozzymandus
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To: null and void

That was an issue for me too.

One major blast above and you’ll be digging your hardware out for months.


7 posted on 02/21/2016 10:24:34 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: nickcarraway

The Russians aren’t our friends...


8 posted on 02/21/2016 10:26:16 PM PST by Does so (Europeans had better start "overstaying their visas" in the USA. ==8-O)
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9 posted on 02/21/2016 10:31:00 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: Does so
No, but Hillary Clinton and Vicroria Nuland sure are.

Is that your point?

10 posted on 02/21/2016 10:32:31 PM PST by Bogie (Just a coincidence?)
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To: nickcarraway

My fault. I had a cold, and the Norwegian Minister of Defence asked me what they should store in their caves and then offered me a plate of gefilte fish. I said noooooo, tanks! The rest is history.


11 posted on 02/21/2016 10:49:02 PM PST by Larry Lucido (I'll support Trump as a second choice, and I'll get on my knees and pray we don't get fooled again.)
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To: nickcarraway

Obama is threatening to invade Russia since the Ruskies are fighting obama’s islamonazi terrorist gangs in Syria - that’s why. Alas, it’s “ Walk loudly and carry a soft stick”. Putin will only laugh at the tanks (he can take out in a matter of minutes anytime he wants to ).


12 posted on 02/21/2016 10:53:03 PM PST by faithhopecharity ("Politicians are not born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 -- 43 BCE))
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To: nickcarraway

I hope the damned tanks were shipped with anti- freeze


13 posted on 02/21/2016 10:57:59 PM PST by faithhopecharity ("Politicians are not born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 -- 43 BCE))
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To: faithhopecharity
Obama is threatening to invade Russia

Can you prove that, because it's patently untrue?

14 posted on 02/21/2016 11:00:22 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: faithhopecharity

You seem to be ignoring the the fact that the Russkies are fighting on behalf of an ‘Islamonazi terrorist state.’


15 posted on 02/21/2016 11:01:37 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: faithhopecharity

If you think Russia is a better country than the U.S., why don’t you go liver there?


16 posted on 02/21/2016 11:02:04 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Your comment is obviously meant to be directed to somebody else. ( I never said anything like what your commenting on, indeed it’s not even on point to anything I believe. So please send your comment to whomever else it you meant it for . Thank you.


17 posted on 02/21/2016 11:10:39 PM PST by faithhopecharity ("Politicians are not born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 -- 43 BCE))
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To: DoughtyOne
One major blast above and you'll be digging your hardware out for months.

Maybe they are hoping the intelligence services can provide them with enough advance notice, that they can get the stuff out before the SHTF.

18 posted on 02/21/2016 11:28:50 PM PST by Mark17 (Thank God I have Jesus, there's more wealth in my soul than acres of diamonds and mountains of gold)
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To: nickcarraway

It’s a mess but I don’t see Assad as quite all that. At least he let Christians- live. it’s ironic when the Christians see Russia’s backing of the Syrian govt as their only hope for survival in Syria. Anyway I don’t know how the place can be fixed now . We should never have let Obama threaten - or send weapons to the islamonazi/rebel/ terror gangs - or now sending in American military - ( or Egypt or Libya or Africa or.... ) congress needs to review the war powers act to prevent future presidents from one- man foreign invasions or other acts of war in the name of America, or something like that cl


19 posted on 02/21/2016 11:30:51 PM PST by faithhopecharity ("Politicians are not born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 -- 43 BCE))
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To: faithhopecharity

If only they had a spine they could have stopped this.


20 posted on 02/21/2016 11:36:37 PM PST by Eagles6 ( Valley Forge Redux. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not us then who?)
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