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The Norwegian Armed Forces
The management of the Norwegian Armed Forces is twofold: political and military.
The Defence Minister, Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen, represents the political aspect of the Armed Forces and is responsible for shaping, running and controlling Norwegian security and defence policy.
The Chief of Defence, General Sverre Diesen, is the top leader for the military organisation and at the same time the top military adviser in the ministry of defence.
Peacetime strength:
Approx. 23 000 (including officers, civilian employees and conscipts)
Strength after mobilisation:
Approx. 83 000
The military and operative branch of the Armed Forces is led by the National Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) in Stavanger. Placed under the NJHQ is the Regional Headquarters North at Reitan in Bodø which functions as a forward command element, responsible for the continuous monitoring of the Norwegian sea areas.
The Norwegian Defence is divided into defence branches:
The Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
The Home Guard is organised in the same manner.
In addition, the Armed Forces have a number of joint departments that support the operative needs, and the Defence Logistics Organisation is the largest one of these. Its area of responsibility include acting as a centre of professional expertise and the provision of engineering, procurement, investment, supply, information and communications technology services, as well as the maintenance, repair and storage of materiel.
National service:
Around 10 000 of the Armed Forces’ personnel each year consist of conscripts. According to the Norwegian Constitution, all fit male citizens are obligated to serve in the defence of their country. Liability to military service starts at the age of 19, and lasts until the age of 44. It is the Armed Forces’ operative needs that set the demand for the amount of conscripts. The conscription targets the most qualified and motivated of the personnel stock. To make sure the information is given to both gender, women are being voluntarily invited to initial testing from 2006. If called in to do national service, a conscript will serve about 12 months in the Armed Forces.
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