Norwegian Defence Ministry asks for a 10% defence budget increase for 2016 21210153.

The majority of the increase comes from a near doubling of the funding related to the Norwegian acquisition of the F-35, which ensures that the Norwegian procurement of the F-35 will proceed as planned.

The overall priorities in the Government’s budget proposal are in line with the recommendations presented by the Chief of Defence on the 1st of October 2015 in his Strategic Military Review, and helps increase the defence budget’s share of Norway’s GNP to a projected 1.54 %.

“The Norwegian Government takes the new security situation very seriously, and in 2016 we intend to follow up on our stated intention of strengthening the Norwegian Armed Forces in areas which allow its operational capabilities to grow in both the short and the long term. A considerable strengthening of the Norwegian Armed Forces is required in order to ensure that we develop capabilities for the future that are both relevant and modern, and which improve our ability to deter the use of force against both Norway and the wider NATO-alliance.

“Both our F-35-procurement and the new base at Ørland are key components to this effort, and of great importance to this Government, and therefore constitute a significant portion of the proposed increases,” said Norwegian Minister of Defence, Ms. Ine Eriksen Søreide.

To support Norway’s continued acquisition of the F-35 along with its associated infrastructure the Government proposes a 2016 budget allocation of NOK 8.6 billion ($1.065 bn). While this proposal includes NOK 1.1 billion ($136 mn) re-allocated from the 2015 budget due to planned payments that have been postponed, this nevertheless constitutes a near doubling of the 2015-level.

Also covered by the funding increase are additional funds for the construction of the new F-35-base at Ørland Main Air Station, where several projects are already underway to prepare for the arrival of the first F-35 in Norway in 2017.

The Norwegian Parliament has already authorized the procurement of 22 of the 52 aircraft Norway plans to procure, which includes deliveries up to and including 2019. In the 2016 budget, the Government requests authorization to begin procurement of an additional six aircraft for delivery in 2020.

On Tuesday the 6th of October the Norwegian acquisition of the F-35 reached another milestone as the second F-35 for Norway, AM-2, completed a successful test flight from Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas. This was the first flight for a Norwegian F-35, and comes only two weeks after the formal roll-out ceremony for the first Norwegian F-35.