OSLO, 2 May. The Ukrainian War has bought the possibilities a war coming home much closer, especially to most European countries. The Scandinavian countries have hardly ever voiced their opinions on issues of global strategic posturing in any detail. However, the Ukraine War has shown that the wars can come far closer home. In fact, it, it already affects their lives, notwithstanding its epicenter being deep inside Ukraine. The phenomenon has led to a few NATO countries already announcing defence budget increases while others are expected to do so, soon.
The Norwegian government has announced a raise in there defence budget. The government has decided to enhance the defence budget by an additional 7 billion Norwegian crowns ($633.06 million). The Prime Minister of Norway announced in a press conference.
Norway has been a founding member of the NATO in 1949. As a founding member, Norway has played an important role in the moulding of NATO as the organization has grown over the years. The Norwegian delegation is manned by personnel from NATO’s foreign and defence ministries. As one of the founding members, an increase in defence budget was definitely expected from Norway.
Norway’s security is best guarded through close international co-operation and relationship with neightbouring countries. According to Norway, it will have NATO as central to its foreign policy and use international organisations to promote peacekeeping, disarmament, arms control and conflict prevention.
Countries like Finland and Sweden that have essentially practiced political neutrality and had stayed out of NATO, have joined the NATO now. Both these countries have borders with Russia and feel the need of an umbrella organisation like NATO to be able to collectively resist Russian forces, should such a situation materialises.
In fact, not just Norway, but NATO countries as a whole need to gear up and rework their defence budget, holdings of war equipment and ammunition stocks. Also, the risk of the war spreading beyond Russia-Ukraine frontiers cannot be ruled out.
Brig SK Chatterji (Retd)
