The coast guard regularly visits Longyearbyen in connection with cruises in the sea areas near Svalbard. From next year, the Swedish Armed Forces will increase their presence on Svalbard. It is the 335 squadron that will start with regular training flights to and from Longyearbyen with the transport aircraft Hercules. This is shown in a document that news has been given access to. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces, a large part of the pilots have never flown there before. It has also been a long time since the last time for the more experienced pilots. In addition, there are other procedures for flying this far north, writes the Air Force in a letter to the Governor of Svalbard. Training trips must be carried out 2-4 times a year to maintain continuity. – Completely legitimate training flights Flight training on Svalbard starts at a time when relations between Norway and Russia are at freezing point as a result of the war in Ukraine. However, Professor of Political Science at Nord University in Bodø, Torbjørn Pedersen, is unsure whether we are facing a change in Norwegian Svalbard policy. Torbjørn Pedersen, professor at Nord University in Bodø. Photo: Nord University – If there is a connection between the training trips on Svalbard and what is happening around us, then it could be that the Norwegian authorities are even more concerned with the vulnerability of society. He points to energy, infrastructure and supply lines, among other things. – Transport aircraft are an important resource for emergency preparedness and part of the Norwegian total defence. Flights to Longyearbyen are completely legitimate and necessary training trips, Pedersen believes. Self-imposed restrictions In October at the latest, Russia protested the Norwegian military presence on Svalbard. Back then, it was the visit of the frigate “Thor Heyerdahl” that the Russians reacted to. In a statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway was once again accused of violating the Svalbard Treaty. According to Professor Pedersen, one has to read the treaty rather creatively to believe that the Norwegian Armed Forces are in the process of establishing themselves on Svalbard. Instead, this is about how high Norway should put the list for its self-imposed restrictions, he says. – What happens in the far north of Norway is sensitive for Russia. They have large strategic concentrations of forces in the immediate area. Norway has shown understanding for this. We have been restrained with our own military activity in order to reassure Moscow. But the list cannot be so low that Norway is unable to safeguard its own security interests. Important for flight safety Per Erik Solli is a defense analyst at NUPI and a former fighter pilot. He says training trips to Svalbard make sense when it comes to flight safety. – It is a demanding place to fly to in bad weather. It is important for the crews to be familiar with the conditions if, for example, people have to be evacuated, says Solli. At the same time, he says that it is nothing new that military aircraft visit the archipelago. In its time, military aircraft were used, among other things, to drop mail bags. – Should something happen up there, we must be able to respond. As long as Norway stays within the framework of the Svalbard Treaty, there is no reason for Russia to object to this, says Solli. Torbjørn Pedersen puts it this way: – There is something ritualistic and predictable about Russian reactions to what Norway is doing in the north. Moscow has a low threshold for complaining, not least in Svalbard. Awaiting reactions from Russia In Longyearbyen, the Air Force’s plans are welcomed. Local board leader Arild Olsen (Ap) refers, among other things, to the long distance between Svalbard and the rest of the country. An increased military presence will be a strength for those who live on the archipelago, says Olsen. – It shows that we have the nation behind us. Local board chairman Arild Olsen. Photo: Rune Nordgård Andreassen / news However, he expects that Russia will protest the plans, as they have a tradition of doing when it comes to Svalbard. – But it shows that we are confident in our assessment of the treaty. Not least in a situation where there is war in Europe. As long as it happens within the framework of the treaty, it is wise to practice here, says Olsen. Final decision not taken FOH informs news that the plans for exercises in Svalbard are in no way a signal to Russia. – This is linked to civil preparedness and flight safety, says press spokesperson Marius Vågenes Villanger. He points out that one of the central tasks of the Armed Forces is to assist civil society in the event of accidents and natural disasters. – Then we must also be able to operate throughout Norway – also on Svalbard, says Villanger. In 2017, for example, a Hercules was used to fly in equipment in connection with the search for a crashed Russian helicopter near Barentsburg. The Hercules planes are stationed at Gardermoen. Photo: Nils Skipnes, Ole-Sverre Haugli / Defense Media Center It is the Ministry of Defense that makes the final decision as to whether the training in Svalbard is to be permitted or not. The decision is taken in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense emphasizes that Norway has the right to carry out such activity. – Norway has full sovereignty over Svalbard and decides at all times the need for calls by military vessels and aircraft, including the need to use military capacities for various transport purposes, including those related to civil preparedness. This type of activity is not in breach of the Svalbard Treaty, the press service informs.
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The armed forces will train on Svalbard with Hercules – news Troms and Finnmark
