Last Thursday in Bodø, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Støre made official the creation of an air base north of the Arctic Circle. A strategic turning point in the face of Russia, which rekindles tensions over the militarization of the Arctic and the question of respect for the indigenous rights of the sami people.
It’s now official: NATO will set up a new air base in Bodø, Norway, north of the Arctic Circle. Last Thursday, the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, visited this strategic city to seal a long-awaited announcement.
Alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, he confirmed that Bodø will become NATO’s third air command center in Europe, after Uedem (Germany) and Torrejón (Spain).
This choice puts an end to a long hesitation between Reitan, close to Bodø, and Rygge, located in the south of the country. The security context, in constant evolution since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was clearly a factor in the decision. For Oslo, this is a logical step in a strategy to strengthen the Alliance’s northern flank.
“Since 2014, Norway has identified infrastructure shortcomings in the north of the country,” Florian Vidal, a political scientist at Norway’s Arctic University, tells polarjournal.net. He adds: “The need to strengthen this area makes sense, particularly in view of relations with the USA, France and the UK.” Far from being a surprise, this move is part of a trajectory that began a decade ago.
Back in 2015, Jens Stoltenberg, then Secretary General of NATO, made a high-profile visit to Bodø, taking part in F-16 take-off exercises. More recently, in 2023, the Norwegian government took options on the construction site of Bodø’s new civil airport, with a view to integrating military capabilities: hangars and aircraft parking.
“The militarization of indigenous lands”
But this gradual militarization is not without its critics. Sociologist Laura Junka-Aikio, a specialist in indigenous populations, points out that “international law prohibits the militarization of indigenous lands, unless absolutely necessary in the public interest, and then only with the consent of the communities concerned.” The Sami, an indigenous people from northern Europe, fear the effects of this increased presence on their ancestral lands and traditional way of life.
The Norwegian Prime Minister nevertheless justified this strategic shift. At a press conference in Bodø, he emphasized the changing geopolitical context: “the security assessment and the importance of moving NATO infrastructure northwards have been decisive.” He also referred to the increasing openness of Arctic sea routes and the rise of Russian and Chinese activities in the region.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, NATO has been accelerating its strategic redefinition in the Nordic countries. Even if ceasefire agreements are signed, the focus is already on the future. “Military officials believe that Russia’s long-term priority could be Northern Europe,” says Florian Vidal. “Moscow is considering deploying 50,000 troops between St Petersburg and Murmansk. This will take time, probably five years, which leaves time for NATO to establish its future positions today.”
This anticipation, however, runs up against a legal reality inherited from the Cold War. The Norwegian county of Finnmark, bordering Russia, remains subject to a non-militarization agreement.
As a result, NATO air radars have to fly around the area. “There is pressure to lift this restriction”, notes the researcher, which could provoke new tensions with the Kremlin.
The announcement of the Bodø base is already sure to revive Russian concerns. But according to Florian Vidal, the lifting of Finnmark’s neutrality would be an even more sensitive measure for Moscow.