Posted on 01/02/2022 7:00:54 PM PST by texas booster
Norway' Minister of Defense, Frank Bakke-Jensen, on Friday signed an agreement with the United States allowing for, among other things, construction of hangar and fuel supply infrastructure for U.S. Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft at Evenes airport and the nearby Ramsund naval station.
“This agreement will strengthen the United States and NATO’s possibilities to defend Norway,” said Minister of Defense, Frank Bakke-Jensen in a phone interview with the Barents Observer.
The new deal widens the opening for transatlantic military cooperation further. At Evenes airport, inside the Arctic Circle, new infrastructure will be built and paid by the United States, aimed at serving U.S. and other NATO maritime patrol aircraft operating over the strategically important Norwegian Sea.
In recent years, Russian Northern Fleet submarines have both sailed more and enlarged patrol areas outside Norway’s northern coast. New, improved, quieter subs of the Yasen class, with cruise missiles that can strike farther, worry the US and its NATO allies.
Keeping track of the submarines requires sub-hunting aircraft capabilities. With first delivery expected in 2022, Norway will get five new P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft currently under construction by Boeing.
However, the Russian fleet of nuclear submarines are growing substantially. Currently, 15 subs are at different stages of readiness at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk.
“Increased Russian sub activity requires more surveillance capabilities from our side,” Defense Minister Bakke-Jensen said.
“The new agreement is expending already existing Norwegian-American cooperation,” he said.
Very un-Biden like, but they probably have lobbyists to pay off.
Four locations in Norway are mentioned in the agreement; the three airports Rygge, Sola and Evenes, as well as Ramsund naval station. Rygge and Sola airports are in southern Norway, while the two latter are between the towns of Narvik and Harstad in northern Norway.
Hope the air force enjoys northern Norway.
Russia should have become an ally. Incredibly big missed opportunity.
This kind of reminds me of the old Roman and British Empires. They had to have a presence everywhere...just because. And that’s one reason they eventually fell.
Yes! Russia should be our Christian ally! And Trump could have made it happen if not for Hillary’s fake pee dossier and the media hounding Trump non-stop about Russia! They wouldn’t even let Trump talk to Putin without demanding impeachment and demanding his interpreter report on everything Trump said. Sick, evil traitors prevented a Russia / America alliance and de-escalation. They were willing to risk NUCLEAR WAR just to get trump and to demonize putin / russia. Mcstain, hillary, biden, romney - traitors all. Pure evil.
We still have a base at Thule Greenland.
It sounds like negotiations on how #3 would recarve the globe.
> Russia should have become an ally. Incredibly big missed opportunity. <
I certainly agree with that. The two greatest threats to Western Civilization today are radical Islam and China (in that order). That alone makes Russia a natural ally of ours. Yet instead of reaching out to Russia, we pick at them.
But has Putin done enough to bring Russia closer to the West? I dunno. It takes two to tango.
My Dad was stationed in Thule, but not sure how much we will use it going forward.
Would be nice to have some assets forward deployed, at least for intelligence, but every pilot needs 30 maintenance men to keep him well dressed.
With Norway shuttering the Bodo Air Base everything is a couple hundred miles further away.
Or more, if stationed in southern Norway.
Actually it does. Too many of the smaller countries want to be left alone.
It is possible when the USA is the baddest dude around, but won't be the case when we walk back and let China assume the role.
Where is Boda that the blue eyed arabs just abandoned?
Perhaps that one could be used instead of spending more of our money?
Nah. That would be stupid.
It appears that Thule is now a Space Force base doing surveillance stuff. Probably been decades since B-52’s passed through.
They don’t maintain any active fighters / bombers year round for any force projection. At least they didn’t back in the late 80s when I was there. Primary mission was the BMEWs site.
Russia should ask to join NATO.
Norway —> 5 million peeps.
Probably more Norwegian-Americans.
Another thing you can thank BILLY “BLOWJOB” CLINTON for; after the Soviet Union crashed we had one of the greatest opportunities in history to turn an old enemy into a new ally.
Little Billy was to busy getting his knob polished.
There is no such thing as radical Islam. There is only Islam.
He did far worse than that, sending his advisers and the IMF to buy Yeltsin and suck them dry, leading to the rise of Putin.
Or we could simply buy Greenland.
I’m fairly certain that President Trump made an offer that was declined by Denmark.
(and perhaps some Congress Critters)
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