The Norwegian government is considering hosting a small contingent of 300 Marines to facilitate better military cooperation in the event of a crisis. According to the plan, which will have to be approved by the Norwegian government, the contingent will follow a six-monthly rotation as is the case for the Marines deployed in Japan.
The Norwegian newspaper Adresseavisen reports that the Vaernes base in Stjordal, Norway, has been selected to house the Marines. The facilities fall within the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway, for the redeployment of vehicles and materials in caves at a controlled temperature, to be activated in case of emergency. The base is located in central Norway, about 1.000 miles away from Russia. The proposal needs to be approved by the Norwegian Parliament, but according to the local press, the first 300 Marines will reach the base by January.
According to Norwegian Defense Ministry spokesperson Ann Kristin Salbuvik, "this potential move is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to improve collaboration between European allies for greater regional security".
The Marine Corps already operates in Eastern Europe with the Black Sea Rotational Force, a contingent of 500 soldiers on a six-monthly rotation that carries out exercises with NATO partners. Earlier this year, some 2000 marines traveled to Trondheim, Norway to participate in the cold-response, the largest multinational exercise in the country in the past 20 years.
In fiscal 2016, for theEuropean Reassurance Initiative 780 million dollars have been allocated.
(photo: USMC)
