Norwegian experts warn that their country’s armed forces will not be able to effectively counter Russian missiles. In their view, this circumstance obliges Norway to urgently deploy long-range missile defense systems, reports Dagbladet.
The Ukrainian conflict revealed shortcomings in Norway’s defense, as the country’s military currently only has medium-range NASAMS complexes, while long-range weapons were previously available. Lt. Col. Stian Negaard Nielsen, commander of the Air Defense Division at Evenes Air Base, expressed concern that Norway’s current air defense systems are not capable of intercepting missiles ballistic and to counter more subtle threats, notes the newspaper.
Norwegian Defense Institute professor Turmud Heyer suggested that in the event of a hypothetical war with Russia, Norwegian airbases could come under rocket attack without warning and that expensive F-35 fighters would not could not take off in time. The scientist is particularly concerned that Norway’s multi-billion dollar investment is under threat. Heyer does not believe that Russia could pose a direct threat to his country in the coming years, but he points out that Norwegian military airbases could be seen by Russia as a potential threat to its nuclear forces on the Kola Peninsula. This fact is of particular concern to the scientist.
