A well adapted military operational concept is a precondition for meeting challenges and applying technology. It requires, among other things, mobile and flexible forces, high speed combat skills, and the ability to carry out joint efforts at all levels.
Our society is becoming increasingly vulnerable. In the absence of adequate security mechanisms, weakness in some parts of the structure of society can be exploited by individuals, groups or the instruments of other states.
The Government's work on measures to reduce this vulnerability will be a central theme of the forthcoming long-term plan for civil defence preparedness.
Future developments in technology will be affected by many unpredictable factors. Today's weapon systems will undergo gradual improvement but it is not expected that the next five to ten years will see the advent of any new weapons of revolutionary military significance.
A well adapted military operational concept is an essential prerequisite if we are to meet new challenges and make optimum use of new technology. The Armed Forces' new operational concept, based on the principles of manoeuvre warfare, is of major significance to all of our military activities. Operating in such a way means that we require mobile and flexible forces, the ability to maintain a high tempo in combat, to coordinate our efforts fully and to have personnel at all levels who are highly skilled and trained.
The delivery by industry of materiel, goods and services is critically important to the operation and activities of the Armed Forces. The capacity and expertise of the Norwegian defence industry is, moreover, important for our defence planning, the procurement of defence equipment from foreign suppliers and our ability to cover the special requirements that are adapted to Norwegian conditions. In addition, a healthy domestic defence industry is good for Norwegian society as a whole. The Ministry of Defence attaches great importance to ensuring that our defence procurement projects benefit both Norwegian industry and the development of our technology base. The materiel procured must, however, be based on the true requirements of the Armed Forces.
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Topic: Nato Cooperation
NATO currently consists of 14 European countries and the United States and Canada. In addition, the Alliance will in all probability be enlarged to include The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as from 4 April 1999 which marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Alliance.
NATO continues to provide Norway's most important guarantee of peace and security in our part of the world. Norway bases its security policy on the expectation that NATO will remain the central player on the European security scene. Other organisations can amplify this role but not replace it.
Allied reinforcement in the event of crisis or war constitutes a central pillar of Norwegian defence and security policy. NATO collaboration acts as a form of mutual assurance. It enables us to maintain a more credible, yet smaller and less costly defence organisation than would otherwise have been possible. But it also requires a Norwegian input when other countries have need of our support.
The NATO countries have in general reduced their defence budgets to reflect the changes and developments in the security environment. Military units have become smaller but at the same time more mobile and able to react more rapidly. It would take quite some time to build forces to their previous levels and, if the situation in Norway should ever require it, it would also take time to realise the full effectiveness of allied reinforcements. It is incumbent upon Norway to maintain armed forces of sufficient strength to safeguard its own territory until the arrival of allied support and to have organisation capable of receiving the necessary assistance.
The end of the Cold War has brought major changes in NATO's internal cooperation. The political aspects of NATO collaboration have assumed increased importance. NATO is no longer faced with a direct military threat. The present day threats to security are now associated more with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, political instability in neighbouring countries and the risk of conflicts in areas bordering NATO's primary area of responsibility spreading to involve the territory of NATO countries.
NATO is expected to increasingly undertake tasks which go beyond its collective defence arrangements. Similarly, cooperation with non-NATO countries and organisations will be making up an increasingly large proportion of the Alliance's overall activities. This encompasses close links with the Western European Union (WEU) and permanent collaborative arrangements with Russia and the Ukraine through a special Council. Most European countries which are not members of NATO are participating in NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme which includes the conduct of joint exercises and discussions on matters of political and military significance under the auspices of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC).
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