Norway has faced increasing security concerns in recent years, particularly regarding Russian threats of sabotage against Europe’s energy infrastructure and submarine cables. In this context, the Norwegian Coast Guard and other defence units have been modernising their capabilities as part of NATO exercises and defence strategies.
During the NATO Joint Viking 2025 exercise, Norwegian Coast Guards trained in boarding scenarios to operate in littoral combat environments. These scenarios are an important part of NATO’s defence planning for actions against suspicious vessels, given the potential threats in the seas around Europe. Such operations are critical to countering the risk of sabotage to energy infrastructure.
Norway shares land and sea borders with Russia in the Arctic, and its annual threat assessments have highlighted Russia’s demonstrated ability and determination to carry out sabotage on European soil. The Norwegian police security services say these threats are likely to affect Norway in 2025.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defence is expanding the operational capabilities of the Coast Guard to create a more resilient security structure against these threats. Modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and long-range maritime surveillance technologies are important tools for a more effective defence against such threats. In addition, the use of UAVs that can withstand the cold Arctic conditions will increase the effectiveness of such operations.
Norway is planning to contact US manufacturers such as General Atomics and Northrop Grumman to purchase high-capacity unmanned aerial vehicles such as the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, which can perform anti-submarine warfare missions and strengthen Norway’s existing air fleet.
