The Ministry of Defense of Norway has created a new office at its Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv. Defense attaché will "promote cooperation between Norwegian and Ukrainian professional communities and industry within defense innovation and industrial development," Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram noted in his e-mail to Forsvarets forum.
Minister Gram is convinced that the Norwegian private sector needs significant investment and commitment to meet the growing demand for military equipment that Ukraine brings to the market. Through the newly appointed mediator, Norwegian companies will be able to share their "knowledge, expertise, and solutions in both the short and long term," he says.
Read more: Ukraine Has Matched or Even Surpassed All EU Countries Combined in the Rate of Self-Propelled Artillery Production
Gram recalls the agreement Kyiv had entered with Nammo, a Norwegian company, to establish a licensed production of 155mm artillery ammunition at Ukrainian factories. Gram predicts that in the future, more manufacturers will seek such cooperation.
Notably, voices in parliament call for more decisive actions. Earlier this September, Denmark opened a hub for Danish-Ukrainian defense industry cooperation, headquartered at the Danish embassy. The hub would become a three-way dialogue platform between representatives from Ukrainian, Danish industry, and government-appointed advisers.
Norwegian parliament members urged for the same actions from the government, saying it would be beneficial for all parties to mirror this form of cooperation. Particularly, Rasmus Hansson MP mentioned investments in drone technology, a development branch currently blooming in Ukraine. Hansson also said establishing a defense industrial hub will also help minimize the risk of corruption:
"It can help to control the military-industrial complex if we enter into a collaboration with a political element, rather than just showering the defense industry with money and expanding on its own," he said.
Just a few days ago, on October 11th, Norway contributed NOK 967 million (almost USD 90 million) to increase the production capacity of the Norwegian defense industry, including NOK 342 million for small and medium-sized companies that supply Ukrainian forces. The funds are allocated as part of the broader multi-year aid plan called the Nansen Support Programme covering the period 2023–2027. This program totals NOK 75 billion (approx. USD 7 billion), divided between military and humanitarian support roughly 50/50.
The military assistance under Nansen includes direct donations of military equipment drawn from the stocks of the Norwegian Armed Forces, as well as procured through international cooperation and mechanisms, or directly from the industry, and training of Ukrainian personnel.
In the meantime, personalities like Ola Elvestuen MP argue that, beyond the Nansen program, even more investments need to be made in the production of weapons and military equipment in Europe and Ukraine.
On a note from Defense Express, the rationale behind these measures quite logically stems from the current problems Europe is facing in trying to keep up with modern needs after decades of lethargy in the defense industry. The aforementioned Nammo set a goal to increase the production of ammunition tenfold with the assistance of investments from the Norwegian government. Yet bridging the gap between the current industrial capacity and modern-day demand is a task even the USA, with its by far larger investments, is struggling to achieve.
Read more: Ukraine Entices Global Defense Industry Giants to Breathe Life Into Local Defense Industry, Ensure Defense Capability
