Russia reclassified as threat- Norway

bulldogg

bulldogg

Milforum's Bouncer
Norwegian defense officials aren't declaring a new Cold War with Russia, but Norway's huge neighbour in the northeast is once again being described as a threat, also in the military sense.

Relations between Russia and Norway have been strained of late, over incidents ranging from illegal fishing in the Barents to collapsed investment prospects in Russian gas fields to Russian restrictions on salmon imports.

At the same time, Russia has been asserting itself all over Europe, often in unpopular ways. It has cut off gas supplies to countries that don't agree to its terms, it has refused entry to top officials traveling to Russia on business, and it has rekindled Russian nationalism to a degree that worries human rights activists. Suspicious murders of government critics also have sparked widespread international concern.

Newspaper Aftenposten has gone through a series of recent speeches and reports written by Norwegian defense officials, and documented use of descriptions of Russia that reflect the recent tensions.

The most revealing was a fresh report from the defense institute FFI (Forsvarets forsvarsinstitutt) that analyzed threats against Norway. In the report, which sets the premises for the Defense Ministry from 2009 to 2012, Russia is identified as a "military threat." There's no fear of invasion, but rather a "limited, military action."

The report notes that the institute may be criticized for its classification of Russia, but even Defense Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen has altered her word usage of late. She has stressed that Russia isn't likely to exert power, but notes that its military build-up can't be overlooked.

"We must be aware that developments can take another direction than we want and expect," Strøm-Erichsen said in a recent speech before the defense group Oslo Militære Samfund.

'Demand for attention'
Espen Barth Eide, state secretary attached to the Defense Ministry, says Russia has consciously positioned itself as an "international player with a demand for attention and influence." Oil income and foreign currency reserves have helped give the country new economic clout that it lacked when the Soviet Union fell apart.

Barth Eide also rejects any talk of a new Cold War, but notes that Russia "is back on the international stage." Its president, Vladimir Putin, is working hard to keep it there, and boost Russian self-confidence.

"It's more important than ever that we continue our policies based on dialogue and concrete cooperation, both multilaterally and bilaterally," Barth Eide told Aftenposten.
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http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1641031.ece
 
Well, Putin last Term expires this year. Here's opening that whoever succeeds him will be less aggressive..
 
Welcome to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I still call the russians "Soviets" for a reason. It's just like that clip from the Simpsons from a while ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIRT7HWEXnA

Anyways, the Soviets still want to be a Superpower and they still have three threats.

1. NATO / Free Europe
2. Islamofascism
3. Red China / The Sino-Soviet Split is still in force to some degree. Nothing Major but still. But that is slowly becoming a thing of the past. The Ivan and Ching are becoming fast friends again and are even playing war together.

Lastly, the world in of itself is going back to a pre WWI Geo-Politcal stance. Study WWI and see what I'm talking about.
 
like that clip from the Simpsons

5.56X45mm said:
Welcome to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I still call the russians "Soviets" for a reason. It's just like that clip from the Simpsons from a while ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIRT7HWEXnA

Anyways, the Soviets still want to be a Superpower and they still have three threats.

1. NATO / Free Europe
2. Islamofascism
3. Red China / The Sino-Soviet Split is still in force to some degree. Nothing Major but still. But that is slowly becoming a thing of the past. The Ivan and Ching are becoming fast friends again and are even playing war together.

Lastly, the world in of itself is going back to a pre WWI Geo-Politcal stance. Study WWI and see what I'm talking about.
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I just craked up lolololololol like that clip from the Simpsons from a while ago
 
I am seriously concerned about the recent developments in the Norwegian - Sov... Sorry, Russian relationship.

We have seen this coming for years - but the people in charge have closed their ears for all warnings and cut the defence budgets and infrastructure to the bare bone. The few coming years will be very interesting.
 
Mr Putin may be the greatest tzar in the russian history and businessman same time.
Russian weapons are cheap but very effective and every kids want them.
 
Well, the truth is that Russia and China are involved in substantial military build ups, and are not friends of the free democracies - even if they are unlikely to attack any time soon.

Talk softly and carry a big stick, it was ever thus.
 
sunb! said:
I am seriously concerned about the recent developments in the Norwegian - Sov... Sorry, Russian relationship.

We have seen this coming for years - but the people in charge have closed their ears for all warnings and cut the defence budgets and infrastructure to the bare bone. The few coming years will be very interesting.
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Norway is a full NATO Member.... and Russia has.... well not much, The Warsaw Pact is dead.

Soviet Union
Poland
East Germany
Czechoslovakia
Bulgaria
Hungary
Romania
Albania

Out of the original Warsaw Pact members the Soviet Union is no more and East Germany as a separate Nation is no more, and some former Warsaw Pact members are now NATO Members.

What's Russia going to do cut off the Vodka supply?
I do not believe such an action would be covered under NATO authority for any Military Response, but Russia would still think twice in my opinion.
 
Kudos to the Norwegian military in not relying on someone else to defend themselves. Yes its nice to have friends to back you up but when the :cen: hits the fan it takes our European allies too long to respond whilest Ivan is up close and personal with Joe and Susie Norway.

Russia supplies a great deal of natural gas to Europe Gator. And they still possess a potent military arsenal.
 
bulldogg said:
Russia supplies a great deal of natural gas to Europe Gator. And they still possess a potent military arsenal.
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That is true, they export large quantities of natural gas to Eastern and Central parts of Europe through Gazprom, actually the worlds largest company dealing with export of natural gas. They hold a key role in the supply to ie Belarus and they are more than ready to cut the supply if they disagree with certain politically or military developments. They make good money on the gas export and they want more - Do you remember this case:

The Kommersant daily newspaper reports that from 2007, gas prices for Belarus would be $200 per 1,000 cubic meters, against the current $46.68.
The move would follow similar gas price hikes that have contentiously been imposed on Ukraine, Moldova and Lithuania, and reflects Gazprom's desire to see the former Soviet republics pay a more market-driven price for natural gas.
However relations between the satellite states and the Moscow-based monopoly have become strained amid accusations that some of the price increases are politically motivated. This proved the crux of a dramatic dispute between Russia and the Ukraine at the beginning of 2006 after the Kiev authorities refused to accept Gazprom's new charges, prompting the latter to turn off supplies to its westerly neighbor.

http://www.data.minsk.by/belarusnews/052006/148.html
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Russia still pose a military threat and Gator, my post was based upon the reorganization of the NOR Army; from a "large" army counting 300.000 personell (total defence army) in case of an invasion to a small mobile army which we see today. We adapt to the so called "missing threat" on the Northern Flank by cutting the defence to a minium - We don't know what the future holds in the North but we know it's certainly not VISA.

The Norwegian - Russian relationship is tense these days, the media does not cover it very well but issues discussed are

1) The Coast Guard's past role and future room for manoeuvre in the Fishery Protection Zone around Svalbard. Gentle enforcement of fishery regulations has in recent years been replaced by open confrontation (Example the Elektron incident), and the Coast Guard's need to balance flexibility and communication with firm enforcement is at the heart of the discussion.

2) The possibilities of extending coordination and collaboration between the Norwegian Coast Guard and Russian enforcement agencies in the Barents Sea. Such a collaboration was initiated in the early 1990s, but new challenges have arisen in the form of massive Russian overfishing and Nowegian efforts to create a uniform management plan for the Barents Sea.

(Source: http://www.fni.no/)

My point is that Russia should be taken into consideration today and in the future, it is a large country with many loose ends and controlling them is difficult.
 
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Russia is dismantled as a threat?
Bollocks.
Just because we perform some exercises with them doesn´t mean we trust them.
And fact is, dismantled or not, Russia poses a very real threat to smaller countries like Norway, Finland and/or Sweden.
Sure they are having problems with muslims in a few places, but so have the US and we can all agree that the US is the only military superpower remaining?

"All countries have a capable army on their soil, either their own or someone elses."
 
Supporting and supplying any and all "anti-western" terrorist organizations, especially arab/muslim origin has been a staple in Soviet/Russian foreign policy since '67.

That hasn't changed at all. Russian finger prints can still be seen all over our current enemy.
 
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