On Wednesday, Norway joined a number of other NATO countries and promised to supply Leopard 2 A4 tanks to Ukraine. Norway currently has 36 such tanks in operational service. It is currently unclear how many of these will be sent to Ukraine. Harald Sunde is a former chief of defense in Norway. He tells news that the tanks will make it easier for the Ukrainians to win back ground – and thus force the Russians to the negotiating table. – Must buy Leopard 2 Harald Sunde believes the time has come to renew the tank fleet in Norway. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB At the same time that Norway is giving away its over 40-year-old tanks, it is high time to buy new equipment, Sunde believes. – That order must come now. The ordering of new tanks and the important maneuver capacity in our own defense has dragged on for many years. It has been investigated time and time again and now it is time – together with this donation – to announce the acquisition of new wagons, says Sunde. There is a political majority in favor of purchasing dozens of new tanks. The choice is between the South Korean K2 Black Panther and the German Leopard 2 A7. Sunde believes Norway must trade from Germany. – Norway in NATO must have the ability to fight together with our close friends and allies. Therefore, Norway must acquire equipment and material that we can also share with our neighbors and allies. Everyone uses Leopard 2, says Sunde. – Doesn’t weaken defense capabilities Sverre Diesen believes it is pointless to buy new tanks. Photo: Svein Olsson / news Sunde’s predecessor Sverre Diesen agrees that the Norwegian wagons can be an important contribution to the Ukrainians’ fight. On the other hand, he is critical of a large-scale purchase of new tanks for Norwegian use. – It would be like saying that a medicine that works against malaria in Africa probably works against cancer in Norway too, says Diesen to news. – There is a complete underestimation of the importance of context. There is a completely different political, strategic, geographical, alliance and strength-wise prerequisite in Ukraine than it will be in Norway. Diesen, who is currently chief researcher at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI), believes that a donation of tanks will not have any impact on Norwegian defense capabilities. – The Russians will not be able to start a war with either us or others for a very long time. So we can donate both four and eight tanks without there being any greater danger of the Russians going after us. – Ensuring that the Ukrainians win the war is a much bigger investment in our own security than sitting and keeping this material ourselves. – Meaninglessly Diesen believes that the only reason why Norway should perhaps buy a limited number of tanks is so that the Telemark battalion can use them. – They have a role in NATO’s reaction forces which means that they must be able to form part of a mechanized structure. Then I agree that it is more appropriate to use the Leopard 2, which all our closest allies have, rather than the Korean one. He completely rejects the purchase of tanks as part of deterrence or preparedness. – I think it is completely pointless for Norway to acquire tanks at all. The Norwegian defense problem consists in creating and maintaining a conflict situation in Finnmark which triggers allied reinforcements in the event of a Russian attack. – It cannot be solved by having to hold large parts of the county with a small mechanized brigade for 30-40 days or more against an attacker who has both larger forces and higher mobility than us. That is what FFI pointed out there is no realism in, that problem requires a fundamentally different conceptual approach. Wanted to scrap purchases In November last year, it became known that the current Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen has also advised the Government against acquiring new tanks. He would rather spend the money on helicopters and long-range weapons. news has asked Kristoffersen for a comment today, but he will wait to make a statement. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram says he has nothing new to say about the order for tanks, but that they are planning for procurement and are in dialogue with the chief of defense about his advice. – The war in Ukraine has shown the need for tanks as a relevant capacity, says Gram to news.
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High time to order new tanks – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
