Allied Forces South Norway (SONOR) was a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

command tasked with the defense of Southern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. SONOR's area of responsibility included all of Norway with the adjacent sea territory excluding the three northernmost

counties of Norway Norway is divided into 11 administrative regions, called counties (singular no, fylke, plural nb, fylker; nn, fylke from Old Norse: ''fylki'' from the word "folk", sme, fylka, sma, fylhke, smj, fylkka, fkv, fylkki) which until 1918 ...

, which were under

Allied Forces North Norway Allied Forces North Norway (NON) was a NATO command tasked with the defense of Northern Norway. NON's area of responsibility covered the three northernmost counties of Norway: Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, as well as the adjacent sea territory. ...

History

Allied Forces South Norway (SONOR) and was activated in 1962 along with

(NON) and

Allied Forces Baltic Approaches Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (BALTAP) was a Principal Subordinate Command (PSC) of the NATO Military Command Structure, with responsibility for the Baltic Sea area. It was in existence from 1962 to 2002 and consisted of the Danish Armed Forces, ...

. Unlike most other NATO commands SONOR was a staffed entirely by members of the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal ...

. Its operational headquarters was located in

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

and today houses NATO's

Joint Warfare Centre The Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) is a NATO establishment headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It was established at Jåttå on 23 October 2003 as a subordinate command of Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT). The purpose o ...

. The commander of SONOR had three deputies: Commander Land Forces South Norway, Commander Air Forces South Norway and Commander Naval Forces South Norway. Incoming allied units would have come under the command of these three deputy commanders.

Structure 1989

In case of war SONOR had the following units at its disposal: * Allied Forces South Norway (SONOR), commanded by a Norwegian

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Commander Naval Forces South Norway

Naval Forces South Norway (NAVSONOR) was tasked with the defence of Southern Norway's coastal waters against Soviet naval incursions and amphibious landings. Operations to the South of Norway's coastal waters were under the command of NATO's

Allied Command Channel Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN) was one of three major North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commands from 1952 to 1994. Commander-in-Chief Channel was a Major NATO Commander (MNC). The Command was established in 1952 to defend the sea areas a ...

and

. Therefore, most major naval units of the

Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...

would have come under other NATO commands, with NAVSONOR retaining control of coastal artillery units and smaller coastal defense boats. NAVSONOR also dispatched a squadron of fast attack crafts to NAVNON on a rotational basis. * Commander Naval Forces South Norway (NAVSONOR), commanded by a Norwegian

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

: ** Fredriksvern Naval Base near

Larvik Larvik () is a List of cities in Norway, town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. The municipality ...

** Haakonsvern Naval Base in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

** Marvika Naval Base in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

** Coastal Artillery ***

Nord-Trøndelag Nord-Trøndelag (; "North Trøndelag") was a county constituting the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. The county was established in 1804 when the old Trondhjems amt was divided into two: Nordre Trondhjems amt and S ...

county: **** Ledangsholm Torpedo Battery in Statland on the

Namsenfjorden The Namsenfjorden or Namsfjorden is a fjord in Trøndelag county, Norway. The long fjord flows along the border between the municipalities of Namsos and Flatanger. It runs southeast from the Folda firth, between the mainland in the south and the ...

covering the approach to

Namsos ( sma, Nåavmesjenjaelmie) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Namsos. Some of the villages in the municipality include Bangsund, Kl ...

***

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...

county: **** Agdenes Group at the mouth of the

Trondheimsfjord The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third-longest fjord at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in Trøndelag county, and it stretches from the municipality of Ørland in ...

to protect

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

*****

Austrått Fort Austrått Fort is a disused coastal artillery site located at Austrått in Ørland, Norway. It was constructed in 1942 by the German Wehrmacht to protect the Trondheimsfjord during the German occupation of Norway during World War II. The fort's ce ...

Opphaug Opphaug is a village in the municipality of Ørland in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located on the Ørlandet peninsula about east of the village of Uthaug, northwest of the villages of Ottersbo and Austrått, and northeast of the ...

(without functioning artillery) ***** Brettingen Fort near Fevåg ***** Hambåra Fort near Vassbygda ***** Hysnes Fort in

Hasselvika Hasselvika is a village in the municipality of Indre Fosen in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord about north of the municipal center of Årnset. It is the location of the old Agdenes military fort as well as the H ...

***** Sørviknes Torpedo Battery in Hasselvika *****

Kråkvåg Kråkvåg is a populated group of islands in the municipality of Ørland in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Kråkvågfjorden, just west of the island of Storfosna. The village of Nordbotn on the island of Fjellværsøya in nei ...

Fort with 3x 120mm Tornautomatpjäs m/70 automatic guns ***** Tarva Fort and Signal Station on Husøya island ***** Løkhaug Fort in Løkhaug ***

Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...

county: **** Nesje Fort in

Leirvik Leirvik is a town and the administrative centre of Stord municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The town lies along the southern coast of the large island of Stord, along the Hardangerfjorden. The town gained "town status" in 1997. The town ...

covering the entry of the

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...

***

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...

county: **** Fortress group to cover the Northern approach to

*****

Herdla Herdla is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed a large group of about 2,000 islands and skerries covering about of land area ...

Torpedo Battery on Herdla island ***** Skjellanger Fort with 2x Tornpjäs m/57 automatic guns to defend the

Hjeltefjorden Hjeltefjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord runs north–south between many islands leading from the open ocean to the city of Bergen. It passes through the municipalities of Fedje, Øygarden, Alver, and Askøy. Its name ...

**** Fortress group to cover the Southern approach to

*****

Fjell Fortress Fjell Fortress ( no, Fjell festning) is located on the island of Sotra in the municipality of Fjell in Vestland county, Norway. History The fortress was built by the German occupation forces during the Second World War. The construction works ...

Fort in

Fjell Fjell is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Midhordland. The municipality consisted of several islands west of the city of Bergen, the major ones being Litlesotra, the northern p ...

covering landing beaches near Bergen ***** Korsnes Torpedo Battery near Krokeidet ***** Neset Fort in Neset ***** Tittelsnes Fort near

Valevåg Valevåg is a village in Sveio municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the Sveio peninsula, along the southern shore of the Hardangerfjorden. Historically, Valevåg was the administrative centre o ...

***** Visterøy Fort with 2x 75mm Tornpjäs m/57 automatic guns to defend the Korsfjorden ***

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

county: **** Fortress group defending

***** Brimse Fort on Brimse island ***** Fjøløy Fort on Fjøløy island ***** Hundvåg Fort on Hundvåg island ***** Mastrafjorden Fort near

Vikevåg Vikevåg is a village in the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the south side of the island of Rennesøy. The northern end of the Mastrafjord Tunnel lies at Vikevåg. The tunnel is part of the ...

***** Neset Fort ***** Tau Fort in

Tau Tau (uppercase Τ, lowercase τ, or \boldsymbol\tau; el, ταυ ) is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless dental or alveolar plosive . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 300. The name in English ...

***** Vigdel Fort in

Sola Sola is a municipality and a Seaside resort in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Solakrossen. Other villages include Tananger, Hålandsm ...

***

Vest-Agder Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...

county: **** Fortress group defending

***** Beltevika Fort on Flekkerøy island ***** Krossodden on Flekkerøy island ***** Møvik Fort in Møvik ***** Odderøya Fort on Odderøya island ***** Randøya Fort on East Randøya island ***

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...

county: **** Fortress Group

***** Folehavna Fort in Vesterøyveien ***** Malmøya Fort on Malmøya island ***** Oddane Fort in

Nevlunghavn Nevlunghavn is a village in Larvik municipality, Norway. Before the municipal merge in 1988 it was a part of Brunlanes municipality. Nevlunghavn has grown together with the adjacent village Helgeroa. The two villages have a combined population of ...

***** Tangen Fort near

Langesund is the administrative centre of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Bamble, Norway. The town of Langesund was established as a municipality 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It was merged with Bamble 1 January 1964. In the ...

(in

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

county) **** Fortress group on the Western side of the

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...

*****

Bolærne Bolærne is an archipelago in the outer part of Oslofjord, in the municipality Nøtterøy in Vestfold, Norway. The islands have a total land area of 2.6 km². The largest island, Mellom Bolæren, covers 1.1 km². The easternmost island is ...

Fort near

Tønsberg Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...

with 3x 75mm Tornpjäs m/57 automatic guns covering the entry to the

***** Torås Fort in

Tjøme Tjøme () is an island in Færder, and a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Tjøme. The parish of ''Tjømø'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see f ...

*****

Svelvik Svelvik is a town in Drammen municipality, Viken county. It is also a former municipality, which was a part of former Vestfold county. The town of Svelvik was separated from the rural municipality of Strømm to become a municipality of its own ...

Fort in

Hurum Hurum was a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. As of 1 January 2020 Hurum has merged with the municipalities of Røyken and Asker to form the new Asker Municipality located in the newly formed Viken county. The administrative centre of the ...

blocking the Svelvikstrømmen Sound (in

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardan ...

county) ***

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

county: **** Fortress group on the Eastern side of the

***** Kjøkøy Fort in

Kråkerøy Kråkerøy is an island and a former municipality in Viken county, Norway. The island of Kråkerøy was separated from Glemmen as a municipality of its own January 1, 1908. At that time Kråkerøy had a population of 3,311. The rural municipality ...

***** Rauøy Fort on Rauer island with 3x 75mm Tornpjäs m/57 automatic guns ***** Torgauten Fort to the Southwest of

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 15 ...

***** Mørvika Fort near the border with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

*****

Oscarsborg Fortress Oscarsborg Fortress ( no, Oscarsborg festning) is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small town of Drøbak in Viken county, Norway. The best known part is situated on two small islets. The main artillery batteries are on the island ...

with an underground torpedo battery (in

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

county)

Royal Norwegian Navy Fleet

In 1989 the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...

had the following ship and submarines in service. While these units were all based in Southern Norway, in wartime the submarines and frigates might have been dispatched to the various

commands defending the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and the Baltic Approaches, while some of the patrol boats would have been sent to reinforce NAVNON in Northern Norway. * Royal Norwegian Navy ** ''Oslo'' class frigates: HNoMS ''Oslo'' (F300), HNoMS ''Bergen'' (F301), HNoMS ''Trondheim'' (F302), HNoMS ''Stavanger'' (F303), HNoMS ''Narvik'' (F304) ** ''Sleipner'' class corvettes: HNoMS ''Sleipner'' (F310), HNoMS ''Æger'' (F311) ** ''Snøgg'' class patrol boats: HNoMS ''Snøgg'' (P980), HNoMS ''Rapp'' (P981), HNoMS ''Snar'' (P982), HNoMS ''Rask'' (P983), HNoMS ''Kvikk'' (P984), HNoMS ''Kjapp'' (P985) ** ''Storm'' class patrol boats: HNoMS ''Storm'' (P960), HNoMS ''Blink'' (P961), HNoMS ''Glimt'' (P962), HNoMS ''Skjold'' (P963), HNoMS ''Trygg'' (P964), HNoMS ''Kjekk'' (P965), HNoMS ''Djerv'' (P966), HNoMS ''Skudd'' (P967), HNoMS ''Arg'' (P968), HNoMS ''Steil'' (P969), HNoMS ''Brann'' (P970), HNoMS ''Tross'' (P971), HNoMS ''Hvass'' (P972), HNoMS ''Traust'' (P973), HNoMS ''Brott'' (P974), HNoMS ''Odd'' (P975), HNoMS ''Pil'' (P976), HNoMS ''Brask'' (P977), HNoMS ''Rokk'' (P978), HNoMS ''Gnist'' (P979) ** ''Hauk'' class patrol boats: HNoMS ''Hauk'' (P986), HNoMS ''Ørn'' (P987), HNoMS ''Terne'' (P988), HNoMS ''Tjeld'' (P989), HNoMS ''Skarv'' (P990), HNoMS ''Teist'' (P991), HNoMS ''Jo'' (P992), HNoMS ''Lom'' (P993), HNoMS ''Stegg'' (P994), HNoMS ''Falk'' (P995), HNoMS ''Ravn'' (P996), HNoMS ''Gribb'' (P997), HNoMS ''Geir'' (P998), HNoMS ''Erle'' (P999) ** Mine Control Vessels: HNoMS ''Borgen'' (N51) ** ''Vidar'' class minelayers: HNoMS ''Vidar'' (N52), HNoMS ''Vale'' (N53) ** ''Sauda'' class minesweepers: HNoMS ''Tana'' (M313), HNoMS ''Alta'' (M314), HNoMS ''Tista'' (M331), HNoMS ''Kvina'' (M332), HNoMS ''Utla'' (M334) ** ''Kvalsund'' class amphibious landing ships: HNoMS ''Kvalsund'' (L4500), HNoMS ''Raftsund'' (L4501) ** ''Reinøysund'' class amphibious landing ships: HNoMS ''Reinøysund'' (L4502), HNoMS ''Sørøysund'' (L4503), HNoMS ''Maursund'' (L4504), HNoMS ''Rotsund'' (L4505), HNoMS ''Borgsund'' (L4506) ** Support Ship: HNoMS ''Horten'' (A530) **

ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...

Ship: FS Marjata 2 ** Training vessels: HNoMS ''Christian Radich'', HNoMS ''Sørlandet'', HNoMS ''Vigra'' (P359), HNoMS ''Hessa'' (P358) All submarines of the navy were under command of the 1st Submarine Flotilla and homeported in

Haakonsvern Haakonsvern is the main base of the Royal Norwegian Navy and the largest naval base in the Nordic area. The base is located at Mathopen within Bergen municipality, about 15 km south-west of the city centre. Around 5,400 people work at the base ...

. In 1989 the navy began to replace some of its ''Kobben'' class submarines with the more modern ''Ula'' class. The ''Kobben'' staying in service were extensively modernized. * 1st Submarine Flotilla, based in

** ''Kobben'' class submarines: HNoMS ''Utsira'' (S301), HNoMS ''Utstein'' (S302), HNoMS ''Sklinna'' (S305), HNoMS ''Skolpen'' (S306) (transferred to Naval Reserve in 1989), HNoMS ''Stord'' (S308) (Naval Reserve since 1987), HNoMS ''Svenner'' (S309), HNoMS ''Kaura'' (S315), HNoMS ''Kinn'' (S316), HNoMS ''Kya'' (S317) (transferred to Denmark on 7 September 1989), HNoMS ''Kobben'' (S318), HNoMS ''Kunna'' (S319) ** ''Ula'' class submarines: HNoMS ''Ula'' (S300) and 5x more under construction In times of war the Royal Norwegian Navy would have been reinforced by the Sea Home Guard, which manned older vessels taken out of service by the navy: * ''Tjeld'' class torpedo boats: HNoMS ''Sel'' (P343), HNoMS ''Hval'' (P348), HNoMS ''Laks'' (P349), HNoMS ''Knurr'' (P357), HNoMS ''Skrei'' (P380), HNoMS ''Hai'' (P381), HNoMS ''Lyr'' (P387), HNoMS ''Delfin'' (P388) * ''Sauda'' class minesweepers: HNoMS ''Sira'' (M312), HNoMS ''Vosso'' (M316), HNoMS ''Glomma'' (M317) Additionally the Royal Norwegian Navy would have been reinforced in wartime with three offshore patrol vessels of the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

: * ''Nordkapp'' class offshore patrol vessel: KV ''Nordkapp'' (W320), KV ''Senja'' (W321), KV ''Andenes'' (W322)

Commander Air Forces South Norway

* Commander Air Forces South Norway (AIRSONOR), commanded by a Norwegian

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

: ** Control and Reporting Centre

Mågerø Mågerø is a small peninsula just south of the Norway, Norwegian city of Tønsberg. It is a part of the island Tjøme, a typically Norwegian summer vacation area. Mågerø is the location of the Royal Norwegian Air Force control and alert station ...

managed by the 130th Air Wing **

Rygge Air Station Rygge Air Force Base ( no, Rygge flystasjon) is located in the municipalities of Rygge and Råde in Viken county, Norway. The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) operates various squadron and aircraft at the airbase, including AgustaWestland AW101 ...

*** 137th Air Wing **** 332nd Fighter/Bomber Squadron with 18x F-16A/B **** 336th Fighter/Bomber Squadron with 18x NF-5A **** 720th Helicopter Squadron with 12x

UH-1B The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of the prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and YH-40 The firs ...

**** Search and Rescue Detachment from the 330th Helicopter Squadron with 2x Sea King Mk43 ** Ørland Air Station *** 138th Air Wing **** 338th Fighter/Bomber Squadron with 18x F-16A **** 330th Helicopter Squadron with 2x Sea King Mk43, detachments at Rygge, Sola,

Bodø Bodø (; smj, Bådåddjo, sv, Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland count ...

and Banak **** Norwegian Adapted Hawk Air-defense Battery with 3x Hawk launchers and 3x 40mm L/70 radar-guided anti-aircraft guns **

Gardermoen Air Station Station Group Gardermoen (Norwegian: Gardermoen flystasjon) is located about 50 km north of Oslo, Norway. It is colocated with Norway's main airport, Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. 335 Squadron and 717 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force a ...

*** 135th Air Wing **** 335th Transport Squadron, with 6x

C-130H The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

and 3x Falcon 20ECM electronic countermeasures aircraft **

Sola Air Station Sola Air Station ( no, Sola flystasjon) is a base for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. It is located in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Rescue Helicopter Service is stationed at Sola along with Helicopter Squadron 330. Also located ...

*** Search and Rescue Detachment from the 330th Helicopter Squadron with 2x Sea King Mk43 **

Værnes Air Station Værnes Air Station ( no, Værnes flystasjon) is an air station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force located in the municipality of Stjørdal in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is co-located with Trondheim Airport, Værnes, which is owned and operated ...

*** Flight School with 16x MFI-17 Supporter *** Norwegian Adapted Hawk Air-defense Battery with 3x Hawk launchers and 3x 40mm L/70 radar-guided anti-aircraft guns ** Kjeller Air Station, main maintenance facility of the

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

** Flesland Air Station, a

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

forward operating base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward Operational level of war, operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfi ...

without assigned squadrons in peacetime ** 4x

MIM-14 Nike Hercules The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range air defense. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclear warhead, but ...

batteries at Rygge Air Station, Gardermoen Air Station and in Hamnås and Oslo with 32x launchers each to defend

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Commander Land Forces South Norway

* Commander Land Forces South Norway (LANDSONOR), commanded by a Norwegian major general: ** Distriktskommando Trøndelag in

covering

Central Norway Central Norway ( nb, Midt-Norge, nn, Midt-Noreg) is an informal region of Norway that is not clearly defined. The term ''Central Norway'' may in its most limited usage refer only to Trøndelag county, but may also be understood to include all or ...

*** Brigade 12 (Norwegian Home Guard District 12 mobilization unit) in

**** 1st Armored Battalion with 26

Leopard 1 The Leopard 1 (also styled Leopard I, before the Leopard 2 simply known as Leopard) is a main battle tank designed and produced by Porsche in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought ...

tanks, 29x

NM135 The NM135 Stormpanservogn is a Norwegian tracked light armoured vehicle (LAV). It is variant of the American M113 armoured personnel carrier (APC), armed with a 20mm cannon in a rotating turret. Developed by the Norwegian Army in the 1980s, it ...

infantry fighting vehicles **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with

Bandvagn 206 Bandvagn 206 (Bv 206) (meaning ''"Tracked Vehicle 206"'' in English) is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds (now part of BAE Systems Platforms & Services) for the Swedish Army. It consists of two units, with all f ...

, 4x

NM142 The Norwegian Model-142 is an anti-tank variant of the American M113 armoured personnel carrier (APC), the difference being that it is equipped with a TOW2 turret developed in Norway by Kværner Eureka. Armament The NM-142 mounts a turret c ...

ATGM An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...

carriers and 4x

M106 mortar carrier The M106 mortar carrier (full designation: Carrier, Mortar, 107 mm, Self-propelled) was a tracked, self-propelled artillery vehicle in service with the United States Army. It was designed to provide artillery support to mechanized infantry battal ...

s **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x M106 mortar carriers **** 4th Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x M106 mortar carriers **** Field Artillery Battalion with 18x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x

infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x NM195 anti-air missile vehicles and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company **** Artillery Observation Platoon in Setermoen with 2x Cessna O-1A planes *** Brigade 13 (Norwegian Home Guard District 13 mobilization unit) in

Steinkjer Steinkjer is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on th ...

**** 1st Infantry Battalion with 4x

TOW Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. Th ...

missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Field Artillery Battalion with 24x

M114 M114 or M-114 may refer to: * M114 155 mm howitzer, a towed howitzer used by the United States Army * M114 armored fighting vehicle, a Vietnam War-era tracked armored fighting vehicle, used by the United States Army * M114 bomb, a U.S. 4 lb. biologi ...

155mm towed howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x

infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x

RBS 70 RBS 70 (Robotsystem 70) is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of ...

man-portable air-defense system Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters. Overview MANPADS were developed in the 1950s to provide military ...

s and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company **** Artillery Observation Platoon in Setermoen with 2x Cessna O-1A planes *** Norwegian Home Guard District 11 Møre og Romsdal -

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

and Setnesmoen (

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

militia in

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is the ...

) **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Artillery Battery with 8x M101 105mm towed howitzers *** Norwegian Home Guard District 12 Sør-Trøndelag -

(Home Guard militia in

) *** Norwegian Home Guard District 13 Nord-Trøndelag -

(Home Guard militia in

) ** Distriktskommando Sør- og Vestlandet in

covering

Southern Norway Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It roughl ...

and

Western Norway Western Norway ( nb, Vestlandet, Vest-Norge; nn, Vest-Noreg) is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrativ ...

*** Brigade 7 (Norwegian Home Guard District 7 mobilization unit) in

**** 1st Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Field Artillery Battalion with 24x M101 105mm towed howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x

infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x RBS 70 man-portable air-defense systems and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company **** Artillery Observation Platoon in Setermoen with 2x Cessna O-1A planes *** Brigade 8 (Norwegian Home Guard District 8 mobilization unit) in

(

militia in

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...

) *** Norwegian Home Guard District 8 Rogaland –

Vatneleiren Vatneleiren is a military base located in the municipality of Sandnes in Rogaland county, Norway. It was constructed just east of the Hanafjellet mountain just outside the Sandnes (town), city of Sandnes by the German Army (Wehrmacht), German Army ...

(

militia in

) **** Tank Company with 17x

M48A5 The M48 Patton is an American first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun Tank: M48. It was designed as a replacement for the M26 Pershing, M4 Sherman, M46 and M47 Patton tanks, and wa ...

tanks *** Norwegian Home Guard District 9 Bergenhus in Ulven (Home Guard militia in

) *** Norwegian Home Guard District 10 Sogn og Fjorande in Eid (Home Guard militia in

) ** Distriktskommando Østlandet in

covering

Eastern Norway Eastern Norway ( nb, Østlandet, nn, Austlandet) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Vestfold og Telemark, Viken, Oslo and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region o ...

*** Brigade 1 (Norwegian Home Guard District 1 mobilization unit) in

infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x RBS 70 man-portable air-defense systems and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company *** Brigade 3 (Norwegian Home Guard District 3 mobilization unit) in Heistadmoen **** 1st Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Field Artillery Battalion with 24x M101 105mm towed howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x

Onsrud Onsrud is a village in Ullensaker, Akershus, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian ...

**** 1st Armored Battalion with 38

tanks, 29x

infantry fighting vehicles **** 2nd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x M106 mortar carriers **** 3rd Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x M106 mortar carriers **** 4th Infantry Battalion with Bandvagn 206, 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x M106 mortar carriers **** Field Artillery Battalion with 18x M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers **** Reconnaissance Squadron with 3x

infantry fighting vehicles **** Anti-tank Missile Company with 4x NM142 ATGM carriers and 4x NM116 light tanks **** Anti-Aircraft Battery with 6x NM195 anti-air missile vehicles and 6x 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns **** Engineer Company **** Artillery Observation Platoon in Setermoen with 2x Cessna O-1A planes *** Norwegian Home Guard District 1 Østfold – Ravneberget (

militia in

) **** Artillery Battalion with 24x M101 105mm towed howitzers *** Norwegian Home Guard District 2 Stor-Oslo –

(

militia in

Greater Oslo Region Greater Oslo Region ("Stor-Oslo-regionen" in Norwegian) is a statistical metropolitan region surrounding the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The region includes the city of Oslo (population: 658,390), the entire county of Akershus (population: 573,326) ...

including

) ****

Hans Majestet Kongens Garde , image=Coat of arms of His Majesty The King's Guard of Norway.svg , image_size=150px , caption=Insignia of Hans Majestet Kongens Garde , country= , allegiance= Monarchy of Norway , type=Foot Guards , branch= , dates=1856–present , specialization ...

Battalion **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Artillery Battalion with 24x M101 105mm towed howitzers **** Artillery Battalion with 24x M101 105mm towed howitzers **** Tank Company with 13x Leopard 1 tanks *** Norwegian Home Guard District 3 Telemark og Buskerud – Heistadmoen (

militia in

and

) **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Artillery Battalion with 24x M101 105mm towed howitzers *** Norwegian Home Guard District 4 Hedmark –

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

(

militia in

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged i ...

) *** Norwegian Home Guard District 5 Opplandske –

Terningmoen Terningmoen is a military camp (or base) in Elverum in Norway. The base trains and houses parts of the Norwegian Army such as: * His Majesty the Kings's Guard ( HMKG) (First two months of service) * Norwegian Home Guard HV-05 (district 5 of the Ho ...

(

militia in

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...

), would raise Brigade 5 for

*** Norwegian Home Guard District 6 Hønefoss – Hønefoss (

militia in Greater Oslo Region), would raise Brigade 6 for Allied Forces North Norway **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars **** Infantry Battalion with 4x TOW ATGM missile launchers and 4x M30 107mm mortars

US Forces in Southern Norway

In 1981 the governments of Norway and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding that in case of war the U.S. Marine Corps' 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade would be deployed to Norway as the Norway Air-Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade (NALMEB). To facilitate a rapid deployment of the brigade and its associated air and logistical units via strategic airlift the two nations agreed to preposition equipment and

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specifi ...

for 15,000 troops, and war stocks for 30 days in Norway. Because of the harsh Norwegian climate it was decided that unlike the REFORGER depots in Germany, the depots in Norway would be underground facilities. Thus between 1985 and 1989 American and Norwegian engineers drilled nearly 63,000 square meters of underground storage tunnels into the mountains around

. After the sites had been filled with materiel and equipment, Norwegian troops were tasked with its maintenance, with two exceptions: the two stored fleet hospitals were maintained by two small

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

detachments. By 1990 the eight artificial caves were filled with all the equipment and the Norway Air-Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade could have been deployed to Norway within 48h. The eight underground depots were: * Ørland Air Station, fighter wing reception site and depot *

, rotary wing reception site and depot * Bjugn Cave Site, in

Bjugn Bjugn is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1853 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ørland Municipality. It was part of the Fosen region. The village of Botngård was the adminis ...

, ground equipment and supply depot * Frigård Cave Site, in

Holtålen Holtålen is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is located in the Ålen area of the village of Renbygda. Other villages in the municipality include Hess ...

, ground equipment and supply depot * Tromsdal Cave Site, in

Verdal Verdal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Verdalsøra. Some villages in the municipality include Forbregd/Lein, Lysthaugen, Stiklest ...

, ground equipment and supply depot * Hammerkammen Cave Site, in

Stjørdal Stjørdal () or is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen. Some of the villages in the municipalit ...

ground ammunition depot * Hammernesodden Cave Site, in

Namdalseid Namdalseid is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Namsos Municipality. It was part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipal ...

ground ammunition depot * Kalvåa Cave Site, in Bjugn air/ground ammunition depot Additionally the U.S. military maintained a small number of units in Southern Norway in peacetime: *

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russi ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

*** Fleet Hospital Support Facility 15, in

to maintain the stored Fleet Hospital Fifteen

References

{{Coord, 58.9056, 5.7216, region:NO-11, format=dms, display=title NATO installations in Norway Formations of the NATO Military Command Structure 1952–1994 Military units and formations established in 1952 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994