Northern Action: why is NATO creating new military bases in Norway
The military infrastructure for the deployment of NATO troops is expanding in northern Norway, the Russian Embassy in Oslo told Izvestia. In 2026, a training center will open in Troms province, and by 2029, a maintenance center for the Norwegian and German Navies will be operational at the Haakonsvern base. The United States is also creating de facto military bases on the territory of the kingdom, which is building a satellite station there. Analysts believe that the expansion of NATO's military activity in the Arctic poses risks of unintended military escalation. The situation is further complicated by the lack of communication channels. In response, Russia is modernizing its military infrastructure and strengthening the Northern Fleet.
New NATO bases in Norway
In the northern part of Norway, the military infrastructure for receiving, transferring and deploying NATO reinforcements is being actively updated and expanded, the Russian Embassy in Oslo told Izvestia. In particular, by 2029, a joint submarine maintenance center of the Norwegian and German Navies will be built at the main naval base of Hokonsvern.
Loading of ammunition at the Hokonsvern Naval Base
And next year, in the village of Serreisa in the North Norwegian province of Troms, it is planned to open a training center with 500 barracks for practicing NATO amphibious operations in Arctic conditions, primarily for military personnel from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States. Washington and Oslo are also building a "temporary" satellite station on Andeya Island to support the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture space infrastructure being created by the United States.
— In the northern part of Norway, the military infrastructure for receiving, transferring and deploying allied reinforcements is being actively updated and expanded. In May 2025, the Norwegian government announced a decision to "adapt" national guidelines for foreign military activities in Northern Norway in order to increase the intensity of joint NATO training activities in the North, including in a cross-border format with Finland and Sweden, Russian diplomats told Izvestia.
According to the 2021 supplementary agreement on defense cooperation between Norway and the United States (amendments to the document were made in 2024), 12 so-called coordinated areas have been created in Norway, which the American Armed Forces can use with very broad powers, including for the deployment of forces and assets, the early storage of equipment, supplies and equipment., conducting training and exercises, maintenance and other things.
— De facto, we are talking about American bases in Norway. In addition, the British and Dutch Marines have their own permanent training camps on Norwegian territory. So, despite Oslo's formal commitment to self—restrictions regarding the non-deployment of foreign military bases in Norway, in practice, the forces and means of NATO countries, primarily the United States, are constantly present here and in increasing numbers," the Russian diplomatic mission in Norway stressed.
Earlier, the joint NATO Air Operations Center was officially opened in the Norwegian city of Buda, located beyond the Arctic Circle. This is the third such facility in Europe, with two more bases located in Spain and Germany. The center will be responsible for surveillance, "deterrence" and, if necessary, defense in the northwestern sector of the alliance's airspace.
The United States remains Norway's main security guarantor and main partner in this area, as Washington has the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons among Western countries. In addition, the countries have historically had close relations in the field of defense and security. In recent years, Oslo has been actively building similar ties with other NATO allies, Nikita Lipunov, a junior researcher at MGIMO.
— At the operational level, Norway has close cooperation, in particular, with Sweden and Denmark. Norway is also developing security cooperation with Britain and Germany. France has recently begun to develop ties with the kingdom in this area," the expert noted.
By the way, London is actually leading the efforts of the North Atlantic Alliance to militarize the Arctic. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Stere has announced that Britain will sell Oslo five or six Type 26 frigates capable of tracking submarines. According to the head of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, John Healy, frigates will help to "hunt" Russian submarines.
According to Lipunov, the Scandinavian-Baltic region is now covered by a dense network of various security cooperation formats that are integrated into the NATO vertical. The Alliance plays an umbrella role, since it is within the framework of NATO that states receive legal guarantees of security.
The risk of incidents in the Arctic
The intensification of NATO's military preparations and provocative activities against our country on the so-called northern flank poses threats to Russia's national security, the Russian Embassy in Oslo told Izvestia.
— This, in turn, definitely does not contribute to strengthening the security of NATO and Norway, as it triggers a destabilizing chain reaction and increases the risks of escalation in the Arctic and Baltic regions. The situation is aggravated by the fact that there are no effective confidence—building measures and military communication channels between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance, which significantly increases the likelihood of dangerous incidents," the diplomats noted.
Political scientist Denis Denisov draws attention to the fact that Norway is one of the most prominent players in the Arctic. Therefore, it is not surprising that the country is used by the North Atlantic Alliance as one of the bases for opposing the Russian Federation in this region.
— The expansion of military activity and the presence of NATO states in the Arctic creates risks of an unintended escalation of military and political tensions, which have only increased in the region in recent years. The situation is aggravated by the loss of mutual trust and the lack of constant contact, especially between the military," Nikita Lipunov believes.
The latter is especially important, since previously the Russian and Norwegian command periodically held consultations to avoid dangerous incidents. However, the last time such a meeting was held was in 2023. At the same time, cooperation in the Arctic Council was effectively frozen.
The expert recalled that Russia has been actively restoring and modernizing military infrastructure in the Arctic zone for many years. The Russian Federation is forced to build up its own forces in the Arctic region in order to prevent security threats. By 2027, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to increase the continuous radar monitoring zone in the region several times, and the Northern Fleet is also being modernized. Therefore, the situation in the polar latitudes remains stable and controlled.
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