The aviation chief wants a joint Nordic air defense if Sweden and Finland become members of NATO – news Trøndelag

– If we are talking about a Nordic air operations center that controls the air force in the Nordics, then we are talking about a fairly formidable air force. So says the head of the Air Force in Norway, Rolf Folland. – It can act as a deterrent to any aggressor, he says. Folland says that it is likely that the neighboring countries Sweden and Finland will become members of Nato. In that case, the Nordic countries should have a common defence, he says. A joint Nordic air operations center will mean an air defense with around 250 state-of-the-art combat aircraft. Work for better cooperation is underway in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Folland says that they are already looking at the possibility of controlling the entire air force from one place. – There are many things that indicate that it will be beneficial for us, he says. The proposal has been well received. – There is great positivism among my Nordic colleagues to achieve this. There is also great support from other allies, says Folland. The head of the Air Force in Norway, Rolf Folland, has taken the initiative for a joint Nordic air operations centre. Photo: Jøte Toftaker Looking at opportunities for collaboration Sweden’s former Prime Minister Carl Bildt launched the same idea when VG interviewed him in Davos earlier this week. Bildt believes that Sweden and Norway may have a partially joint air defense. – It is clear that it will be integrated and collaborated on when Sweden and Finland become members of NATO, says Bildt to the newspaper. Norway’s defense minister, Bjørn Arild Gram, was in Germany on Friday to discuss aid to Ukraine. He is also no stranger to such cooperation in the airspace. – There are great opportunities in enhanced Nordic defense cooperation now that all Nordic countries become members of NATO. It is very positive to have an initiative to look at those possibilities, says Bjørn Arild Gram. The Minister of Defense says that they have started extensive work. – Then we wait for a professional military council and a defense commission, so that we can make this more concrete, says Bjørn Arild Gram. Work is underway to look at the possibility of strengthening cooperation with Nordic countries, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. Photo: David Skovly / news



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