Norway's Contribution to International Operations
Abstract
The international system changed dramatically after the end of the Cold War, and for a period of time there do not seem to be any direct threat against Norwegian territory or independence. Norway's security approach has changed from a mainly domestic and northern Europe focus, to a global perspective. To achieve political goals, the Norwegian armed forces has been transformed from a huge mobilization structure to a small, high quality and highly mobile force structure, able to conduct operations throughout the world as part of multinational organizations. My thesis is that current political goals exceed the political will to maintain a balanced and sustainable force structure. Norway should now prioritize the contribution to ongoing operations, make adjustments to the national force generating process and establish a policy where all elements of power are used in synergy. An enhanced cooperation between NATO and EU and a more consistent cooperation within NATO between small nations are recommended. I will discuss the international system, relevant parts of Norwegian policy, and present force structure and force generating system. Lastly, I will recommend adjustments to reduce the gap between political will and armed capacity.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 29, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA478631
Entities
People
- Yngve Odlo
Organizations
- United States Army War College