Ørland is the headquarters for air defense in Norway. The vast majority of the country’s new F-35 fighter jets are here. Now the government is adding the broad side to make it attractive for people to work at the air base. – The defense must be strengthened in a more serious security policy situation. Ørland fulfills an exceptionally important role in the Norwegian defence, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp). NOK 6 billion will now be spent on housing, quarters, airstrips and facilities for the Norwegian Armed Forces’ operations in Ørlandet. – This is our fighter base. This is also where we have the core area for the Norwegian Air Force. We are going to build this up further, and then we have to make arrangements for the material, but most of all for the people who will work here, says the Minister of Defence. – It can quickly become a bit confusing in the long run Hallvard Andre Rønningen and Johanne Elise Åkvik both work inside the airbase, but have moved into completely newly renovated housing right outside the camp itself. The house they live in is originally from the fifties. The area is located on Tingvollen and is simply called “diaper town”. The name originates from earlier times when cloth nappies were hung to dry in the gardens. People worked inside the air base even then, and brought their family to Ørlandet and established themselves here. – It’s great. We are very, very happy. – It’s great to get out of camp, and be able to move into something you call your own, and settle down more here as opposed to in camp where it can quickly become a bit confusing in the long run, says Rønningen. For Johanne Elise Åkvik and Hallvard Andre Rønningen, it has meant a lot to be able to move out of the camp and into their own home. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news They have both previously lived in the commander’s barracks inside the camp. Åkvik says that moving out has been important for having free time. – It’s very nice because you get that break from work. It is a bit difficult to have that distinction when you live inside the station, but here it is very easy to distinguish between work and leisure. Neglected standard for many years The Minister of Defense points out that housing provision has been too poor in the defense for many years. He points out that the competition for labor in society is great. Therefore, the defense must keep up better. He believes that the defense must be more attractive to recruit and retain people. – An important thing to achieve that is that we have good housing, that there are enough homes, and that they have a good enough standard. We have not had that in the Norwegian defence. It has been neglected for many years, says Gram. A delegation from both the Ministry of Defence, Forsvarsbygg and the municipality visiting newly renovated housing right outside the combat aircraft base camp. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news Åkvik is an instructor in guarding and security and trains soldiers. Rønningen works in active efforts, which is a mobile guard force that supports all over the country. – The workload is high in the defence. So being able to get out of camp and completely relax when you first have time off is very important and absolutely crucial to getting people to stay in it for a long time, says Rønningen. The government will now build a lot both around and inside the airbase. – We will develop several hundred homes and quarters in the coming years. We are in the process of renovating the building stock we already have. And then we will also build more shelters for the F-35 aircraft. We must also have investments to facilitate further air defense efforts here on the Islands, says Gram. Published 16.09.2024, at 15.54
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Invests six new billions at the F35 fighter base on Ørlandet – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
