– The government will do what the Chief of Defense has suggested. We are moving the head of the Air Force to Reitan outside Bodø so that he can be close to where the activities are planned, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to news. The question of the location of the head of the Air Force has been discussed a number of times in recent years. It was in 2012 that the Storting decided that the localization should be Bodø. This was considered a band-aid for the fact that Bodø lost its combat aircraft base and 800 jobs to Ørland in the same decision. Sending parts of the management north The goal was then that the relocation of the chief with a small staff should take place by the end of 2014. Then the rest was to be carried out as defense housing became available in Bodø. But it never happened. Because the move has been postponed. In 2014, it was believed that a division of the management, on top of other major changes in the Air Force, would lead to an unnecessary amount of noise. But now it is moving towards a permanent move, at least for parts of the management. If everything goes as Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) wants, the head of the Air Force with a small staff will be moved from Rygge to Reitan. I believe it is the right move. The proposal will be formally submitted to the Storting in connection with the new balancing of the 2022 budget. – I am happy that it can happen now. We have been talking about this since 2012. The fact that the head of the Air Force with a smaller staff element can now come to Reitan is good. We think that is the right move, says Støre, and continues: – It is a time when there is war in Europe. It is not a war that threatens our borders, but it is a time when we must constantly look at how we organize our Defense as best as possible. Our proposal to the Storting is that we do this, he says. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre believes that it is important to look at the organization of the Armed Forces. Photo: Pontus Höök / Pontus Höök – This was part of the plans in 2012, why has it taken so long? – There were eight years when we were not in government. But I won’t go into that now. Now we are today, and I think this will be good, and give us an even better opportunity to plan and look in context. – But you are splitting the whole organisation. You take the lead and not the staff? – It comes with a staff element, and that is where we have the capacity to do it quickly, says Støre. – Weakness in the organization The chief of defense has also advocated that it is right to move the head of the Air Force from Bodø to Reitan. – The National Air Operations Center is today in Bodø, it is from this command post that the head of the air force leads our air operations in crisis and war. Our military air operations in peacetime are led from our air operations center in Bodø in peacetime around the clock. But without the head of the air force being physically present. I believe that is a weakness in our organisation, defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen has previously stated. Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news Bodø mayor Ida Pinnerød is happy that things are now moving towards moving. – It is very good that we are finally moving the Chief of the Air Force to Reitan. We’ve been working on this since 2012, and I’m glad it’s coming into place, she says.
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The chief of the Air Force is being moved from Rygge to Bodø – news Nordland
