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– Unplanned and on the verge of irresponsibility, Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen told Dagbladet when the Labor Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Socialist People’s Party in June joined the government’s coalition party FRP and rejected the consideration. of the new long-term plan for the Armed Forces.
The parliamentary majority thought the plan was simply so weak that negotiating changes was useless.
The requirement consisted of eight-point improvements (see data box at end of case). The opposition set an October 15 deadline for the government to present a new and better plan for the development of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
A day after the deadline, the new plan was discussed in cabinet on Friday. According to the government, it meets the eight requirements of the Storting, but is generally built with exactly the same load as this spring.
– Christmas wishes
The main criticism of the opposition related to a somewhat unorthodox move by the government. Instead of presenting an investment plan in the Armed Forces for the next four years, as tradition dictates, the long-term plan was based on an eight-year scenario.
The government promised that in 2028 NOK 16.5 billion more would be spent on the Armed Forces than today. But the promises did not impress the opposition, who thought they were too low-key.
– What is in the last part of the national transport plan are the Christmas wishes. That is what comes in the first part that is binding, said SP leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, when he had to explain to Dagbladet why his party reacted the way it did.
Massacre of the Chief of Defense
With him on the team were his party colleague and former defense chief Harald Sunde and defense policy spokesperson Liv Signe Navarsete. Together, they strongly opposed the government’s defense plan before the summer.
– The government proposal is little more than a communication plan to postpone everything, Sunde said. He continued firing the verbal machine gun:
– The most important thing for me here is not the professional army, but ethics. We are not giving our country’s soldiers the weapons they need to go to war, Sunde said, referring to the gradual introduction of new tanks, which he believes is too slow.
Sagts also came from FRP’s defense policy spokesperson Christian Tybring-Gjedde:
– It is unsustainable that the government does not commit itself for the next four years, but rather postpones decisions for eight years. Especially within the Navy, the plan is insufficient, but there are also fundamental weaknesses in the focus in the Army and Air Force, he told NTB.
New numbers
The government has reportedly taken note of the Storting’s criticism and is presenting a new estimate for investments over the next four years.
It has now been promised that Norway will spend 8.3 billion more on the Armed Forces in 2024 than it does today. At the same time, a surplus of NOK 3 billion is forecast for next year in what is described as lasting increases.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) says the plan will increase the preparedness, response capacity and resilience of the Armed Forces.
– The government works with determination to strengthen both social security and state security. We want to create a safer Norway, says Solberg, who at the same time as the long-term plan presented a new report to the Storting on social security for which the Ministry of Justice has been responsible.
Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen says the new long-term plan builds on the one presented to the Storting in April. He believes that the eight demands of the opposition have been met.
-We have made it clear what decisions will be made in the coming years and provide a more detailed description of the development in the coming years. Even with the limited economic room for maneuver in the Norwegian economy, we prioritize the continued strengthening of the Armed Forces, says Bakke-Jensen.
Increased activity
Frank Bakke-Jensen says that the government over the next four years will implement a host of measures to strengthen defense capabilities, such as staff increases, a new recruiting school, updating existing equipment and new acquisitions.
One of the concrete measures that differ from this spring is that the future structure of the Navy will be clarified earlier than originally planned. Initially, the government wanted to return to this towards the end of the planning period, which runs until 2028, but in the new long-term plan, the Storting is promised a plan for a new vessel structure in 2022.
One of the biggest uncertainties in the investment plans of the Armed Forces is the crisis in the crown and its effect on the international economy and currency fluctuations.
This was something that the Storting in their order asked the government to “take into account”, something that the government recognizes in the new long-term plan it is demanding.
