Tracks a long time before Sweden and Finland are integrated into NATO

– Integrating Sweden and Finland into NATO, yes, they have become members, but I think it will take many years before the culture is present and that they are fully integrated, said Lieutenant General Yngve Odlo during a debate at the old War College in Oslo.

The former head of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ operational headquarters (FOH) estimates that it will take a generation to integrate NATO’s two newest members into the alliance.

– We have worked closely with Sweden and Finland for many years. But turning this system around from focusing only on defending one’s own country to being part of Nato is going to take time, Odlo elaborates to the Defense Forum afterwards.

The debate was held in connection with Krigsskolen Almuni’s annual meeting, and the topic was the consequences of Sweden’s and Finland’s entry into NATO.

– Different traditions

Ministerial Councilor in the Ministry of Defense Frede Hermansen sat on the panel, and agreed with Odlo. He believes that Norway often makes mistakes in cooperation with Sweden, because the two countries have different administrative practices.

– There are completely different management traditions, especially when it comes to strategic development, actually making changes. We are completely different organizations. We make decisions in completely different ways, and we act in completely different ways. When Norwegian and Swedish defense ministers meet, they have two different roles. There are two different powers and authorities, and two different roles also in relation to physical authorities, said Hermansen.

– We have been too bad at understanding it and taking it into account in the processes. This means that what we get are small, simple solutions. We do not understand how the administrative structures work together, how we actually make decisions in the different countries, he added.

Hermansen believes that if Norway does not understand these differences, it will make it more difficult to make important decisions.

– The Swedish constitution is screwed together in a different way than the Norwegian one. It has consequences for what it means to subjugate one’s own forces under the command of another country, he says to the Defense Forum after the panel discussion.

– A heavier voice

Odlo emphasizes that Norway and Sweden have worked well together during his time as an officer in the Army, but that the two countries’ defenses have different roles.

– Sweden has organized its defense to defend Sweden. As part of the alliance, Norway had a national defence, but also a defense which should support and help others. Having a defense that is used both at home and abroad, and seeing the decisions you have nationally in an alliance, is something different from making a decision nationally for your own defence, he says to the Defense Forum.

– There are cultural differences between NATO countries, for example Norway and the USA?

– Yes, but we have a NATO procedure that we follow. Which means you have a method to follow, for better or for worse. It is all about having a national defense for the defense of Norway than being part of it. We have spent the last 20 years operating our defense outside.

– Are Norway’s roles going to change within NATO, because we are bringing two neighboring countries into the alliance?

– Not by definition, I think. But when you get three Arctic nations, you get a heavier voice. There will be no talk of a Nordic bloc, I would advise against it. There must be three nations working closely together, but it is as part of Nato.

The Defense Forum’s debate manager Ylva Schwenke was the moderator during the debate.