Norway announces biggest military upgrade since end of Cold War

[Deleted]

Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20160618-...ictable-russia



Norway announced plans Friday for its biggest military upgrade effort since the end of the Cold War, to bolster its defences against an “increasingly unpredictable” Russia.

The Scandinavian country, a NATO member, plans new fighter jets and submarines to boost its ability to protect itself from its vast neighbour, with which it shares an Arctic border.

Over 20 years, Norway will boost its defence budget by 165 billion kroner (17.5 billion euros at the current exchange rate), according to details of a military programming law presented by the government.

But it is less than the 180 billion kroner sought last year by the armed forces chief Haakon Bruun-Hanssen.

“Unfortunately the geopolitical circumstances have changed significantly, in a bad way, in recent years,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a press conference in Oslo.

“We have an increasingly unpredictable neighbour to the east which is strengthening its military capacity, and showing willingness to use military force as a political tool,” she added.

The military programming law aims to upgrade the army both by maintaining existing resources and buying new equipment.

It foresees the purchase of 52 F-35 fighter jets and four submarines, as well as new naval surveillance planes to replace six ageing P-3 Orion aircraft.

The extra expenditure will bring Norway’s military budget toward the 2.0 percent of GDP goal fixed by NATO, while not reaching it.

Solberg said the country’s current military might “is not adapted to the geopolitical situation”, and described a “historic defence effort, the biggest since the end of the Cold War”.

[Deleted]

Nice to see them trying but they are still sponging off other countries in NATO unless they hit that 2%.

[Deleted]

Oh man, don't buy those crappy F35's though.....

They are the poor man's F22 And they are riddled with software bugs and have been outmatched by F16's in tests.

[Spectral]

That's a pretty cool paint job. The F-35 might even be a pretty capable weapons system someday.

Not hitting that 2% goal is pretty ridiculous - this isn't exactly a tall order for a nation that can fund that just with its resource glut.

[Skroe]

Oh man, don't buy those crappy F35's though.....

They are the poor man's F22 And they are riddled with software bugs and have been outmatched by F16's in tests.

The F-35 is significantly more advanced than the F-22. In fact, were the US to restart F-22 production (as is being discussed), the biggest issue facing the Air Force at that point would be to just make more "F-22A"s or retrofit F-35 tech into it and produce 200 "F-22Cs".

They're for different purposes fundamentally.

And the F-16 with a full weapons load is far less capable than an F-35 with an equivalent.

Also it's worth noting that the same bad shit was said about the F-22. Five years later its software errors mostly got worked out. F-35 will be no different. So much nonsense about it is spread by David Motherfucking Axe who won't be happy until the USAF buys Crop Dusters with machine guns to fight the counterinsurgencies he fetishes.

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That's a pretty cool paint job. The F-35 might even be a pretty capable weapons system someday.

Not hitting that 2% goal is pretty ridiculous - this isn't exactly a tall order for a nation that can fund that just with its resource glut.

Frankly 2.0% was cutting Europe a break. It should be 3.0%.

The US currently spends about 3.5-4.5% depending how you count. By statute it should be 5.5% as it was until ~2010. Thanks Obama. 215 days left on him.

[Paklaaji]

That's a pretty cool paint job.

That`s not really a paint job - standard RAM skin.

You might see custom paint job on Israeli F-35I`s considering that they always like to pimp up whatever they have.

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And yeah, I agree about the below 2% defense spending. There`s no reason why Europe couldn`t have a military comperable to that of US, considering our population and GDP (which is larger than US and Canada combined).

No, we don`t need aircraft carriers. But the fact that we don`t have P-8`s, new APC`s and Air Forces stacked with Typhoons is embarrasment. We live in a world where global defense spending is at decade-high. Besides, it also degenerates our industries - it`s rather pathetic that only now major European powers are testing domestic UAV`s, while US has been in the drone business for more than 15 years now.

[Xires]

The F-35 is significantly more advanced than the F-22. In fact, were the US to restart F-22 production (as is being discussed), the biggest issue facing the Air Force at that point would be to just make more "F-22A"s or retrofit F-35 tech into it and produce 200 "F-22Cs".

They're for different purposes fundamentally.

And the F-16 with a full weapons load is far less capable than an F-35 with an equivalent.

Also it's worth noting that the same bad shit was said about the F-22. Five years later its software errors mostly got worked out. F-35 will be no different. So much nonsense about it is spread by David Motherfucking Axe who won't be happy until the USAF buys Crop Dusters with machine guns to fight the counterinsurgencies he fetishes.

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Frankly 2.0% was cutting Europe a break. It should be 3.0%.

The US currently spends about 3.5-4.5% depending how you count. By statute it should be 5.5% as it was until ~2010. Thanks Obama. 215 days left on him.

No......no it isn't. Infact you are literally the FIRST person to make that claim. Everyone else to include the military say otherwise.

[Deleted]

No......no it isn't. Infact you are literally the FIRST person to make that claim. Everyone else to include the military say otherwise.

I would not argue with Skroe about aircraft.

[nextormento]

Isn't the 2% a goal set for 2024?.
I don't expect them to reach it in one sitting.

[Aggrophobic]

Good job, Norway.
Keep it up.

[Theinquisition]

The F-35 is significantly more advanced than the F-22. In fact, were the US to restart F-22 production (as is being discussed), the biggest issue facing the Air Force at that point would be to just make more "F-22A"s or retrofit F-35 tech into it and produce 200 "F-22Cs".

They're for different purposes fundamentally.

And the F-16 with a full weapons load is far less capable than an F-35 with an equivalent.

Also it's worth noting that the same bad shit was said about the F-22. Five years later its software errors mostly got worked out. F-35 will be no different. So much nonsense about it is spread by David Motherfucking Axe who won't be happy until the USAF buys Crop Dusters with machine guns to fight the counterinsurgencies he fetishes.

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Frankly 2.0% was cutting Europe a break. It should be 3.0%.

The US currently spends about 3.5-4.5% depending how you count. By statute it should be 5.5% as it was until ~2010. Thanks Obama. 215 days left on him.

It saddens me to see the cuts being made to personal right now, the army is losing an entire generation of Combat experienced NCO's. The same shit will happen the next time there is a conflict that happen in the beginning of OIF and OEF.

Soldiers that were forced out will be called up on IRR and forced to deploy or they will lose their benefits.

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No......no it isn't. Infact you are literally the FIRST person to make that claim. Everyone else to include the military say otherwise.

they fill completely different roles.

[Ripster42]

I would not argue with Skroe about aircraft.

The response is going to be pretty funny though.

[GennGreymane]

Ughhh Norway? Why not just go old fashioned, get some long boats and kick some butt!