One billion kroner is set aside for projects at Nammo at Raufoss in the interior to increase the production of artillery ammunition. One billion is also set aside for other projects in the Norwegian defense industry. – The war in Ukraine has created a situation where there is a need for large quantities of ammunition. That’s what Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said when he visited Nammo at Raufoss today. The Prime Minister pointed out that Nammo is an important producer of weapons. – The government is therefore contributing with powerful measures so that the Norwegian defense industry can produce more. The NOK 2 billion is financed through the Nansen programme. The M72 hand-held anti-tank rocket is among the weapons Nammo produces that are particularly sought after. Photo: Anette Ask / Forsvaret / NTB – Important From before, the government has set aside around NOK one billion to increase Norwegian production capacity through co-financing of so-called ASAP projects. The total production support is thus up to NOK 3 billion. – Increasing capacity in the defense industry is important, both for Ukraine, but also to safeguard our own security, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. He says the Armed Forces will grow in the future because of the security policy situation. – We are in a new era, and for our government it is important to strengthen production capacity, he says. The prime minister thinks the same: – There is a serious security policy situation in Europe. In NATO, we must acquire enough capacity to be able to help Ukraine. This is a targeted boost so that Nammo can increase production, which both benefits our security and helps Ukraine, said Støre. – We are now contributing to Nammo’s production capacity increasing significantly to cover Norwegian, allied and Ukrainian needs, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news On Wednesday 17 January, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram will meet at Nammo to meet the press. 700 new jobs at Raufoss Nammo has in several rounds asked for support to increase its capacity to produce grenades which are in demand from Ukraine and NATO countries. They have asked for NOK 850 million in investments, but as of 1 December last year had received NOK 75 million for the purpose. Despite a gloomy backdrop, today was therefore a day of joy for Nammo. – The collaboration with the authorities contributes to a much stronger and faster increase in production than we could achieve alone, says Morten Brandtzæg. He is the managing director at Nammo. We will now build capacity for arterleri production. At Raufoss, we now need 700 more workers at Nammo. We need, among other things, mechanical engineers, technicians and economists, says Brandtzæg. Billion contract last year Nammo and the state entered into a billion contract with a value of NOK 2.6 billion. It is the largest contract the company at Toten has ever had. The money was to be used, among other things, for the purchase of artillery ammunition. Then it was the war in Ukraine that led Europe to arm itself, and the demand for weapons and ammunition increased sharply. The arms manufacturer Nammo produces ammunition, rockets and high-tech weapons. Photo: William Jobling / news More actions Weapons manufacturer Nammo, with headquarters at Raufoss, has had to endure a lot of criticism this autumn. In December last year, activists chained themselves outside Nammo at Raufoss. These were from the Palestine Committee. They claimed that weapons from Nammo are used to kill Palestinians in Gaza. Nammo rejects these claims. Earlier in December, the action group “Activists for Palestine” appeared during the jumping competition in Lysgårdsbakken in Lillehammer. The Norwegian show jumping team has a sponsorship agreement with Nammo, and the campaigners criticized the collaboration. But this is not the first time action has been taken against the arms manufacturer. Back in 2014, there was a protest action against Nammo. Even then, the goal was to boycott arms exports to Israel. The arms manufacturer Nammo produces ammunition, rockets and high-tech weapons. Photo: William Jobling / news
ttn-69
The Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to Nammo at Raufoss – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
