Norwegian Armed Forces

The Norwegian Armed Forces (Norwegian: Forsvaret, "The Defense") is the military organization responsible for the defense of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the Home Guard and the Cyber Force, as well as several joint departments. The armed forces number 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees, and have a full-mobilization combat strength of 83,000. Norway employes mandatory military service for men. The military expenditure of US$6.2 billion military expenditure is the highest per capita in Europe.

The armed forces are subordinate the Ministry of Defense, led by Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen. The formal commander-in-chief is King Harald V, however, the de facto commander-in-chief is Chief of Defense Harald Sunde. His staff is located at Akershus Fortress in Oslo, while the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, responsible for commanding operations, is located in Bodø. The main naval base is Haakonsvern in Bergen, the main army camps are in Bardu, Målselv and Rena, and the main air stations are Ørland and Bodø.

An organized military was first assembled in Norway in the 9th century and was early focused around naval warfare. The army was created in 1628 as part of Denmark–Norway, followed by two centuries of regular wars. A Norwegian military was established in 1814, but the military did not see combat until the German occupation of Norway in 1940. Norway abandoned its position as a neutral country in 1949 to became a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Cold War saw a large build-up of air stations and military bases, especially in Northern Norway. Since the 2000s, the military has transformed from a focus on defense from an invasion to a mobile force for international missions.