Norway Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Norwegian Armed Forces: Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret), Norwegian Special Forces, Norwegian Cyber Defense Force, Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2022)

Military expenditures

1.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

1.7% of GDP (2021)

2% of GDP (2020)

1.9% of GDP (2019) (approximately $8.66 billion)

1.7% of GDP (2018) (approximately $8.02 billion)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 27,000 active personnel (9,000 Army; 4,300 Navy; 4,700 Air Force; 9,000 other, including special operations, cyber, joint staff, intelligence, logistics support, active Home Guard, etc.); approximately 40,000 Home Guard (2022)

note:  active personnel includes about 10,000 conscripts

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory includes a mix of imported European, US, and domestically-produced weapons systems and equipment; since 2010, the US has been the leading supplier of weapons systems to Norway (2021)

Military service age and obligation

19-35 years of age for selective compulsory military service for men and women; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women volunteers; 12-19 month service obligation; conscripts first serve 12 months between the ages of 19 and 28, and then up to 4-5 refresher training periods until age 35, 44, 55, or 60 depending on rank and function (2022)

note 1: Norway conscripts about 8,000 individuals annually; it has had compulsory military service since 1907

note 2: Norway was the first NATO country to allow women to serve in all combat arms branches of the military (1985); it also has an all-female special operations unit known as Jegertroppen (The Hunter Troop), which was established in 2014; as of 2021, women comprised about 20% of the military's full-time personnel

note 3: beginning in 1995, the military began offering Icelandic citizens the opportunity to apply for admission to officer schools in Norway with an associated education and service contract under special reasons and based on recommendations from Icelandic authorities; as early as 1996, Norway and Iceland entered into a cooperation agreement on the voluntary participation of Icelandic personnel in Norwegian force contributions in foreign operations

Military deployments

up to 190 Lithuania (NATO) (2022)

note: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including Norway, have sent additional troops and equipment to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in eastern Europe

Military - note

Norway is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949; the Norwegian Armed Forces cooperate closely with the militaries of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; NORDEFCO was established in 2009

the first Norwegian defense organization, the leidangen, was established along the coastline in the 10th century to protect the Norwegian coast (2022)

NOTE: The information regarding Norway on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Norway 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Norway 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.