€38 million for temporary Allied Air Command center in Bodø

By Atle Staalesen, The Independent Barents Observer May 15, 2025
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The Norwegian government is starting to prepare the ground for the development of a Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs) in the north Norwegian town of Bodø.

Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets ready for takeoff at the airport in Bodø. Photo: Hanne Hernes/Forsvaret

The government of Jonas Gahr Støre has allocated 438 million kroner (€37.6 million) for the establishment of a temporary base for NATO’s third Combined Air Operations Centre.

The allocation comes as part of the country’s revised national budget.

NATO has decided that a third CAOC is to be established and that its location will be in Norway. But a final decision about the site for the centre has not yet been taken.

This temporary location will serve as working place for several hundred people over several years until a permanent centre is ready, the Defence Ministry in Oslo informs.

“We will be carrying out missions for NATO through the new air operations centre this year, and need temporary premises. The temporary location does not determine where the centre will be located permanently,” Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik says.

Norway’s Minister of Defence Tore Sandvik (center) together with U.K. Secretary of Defence Johan Healey in a meeting with Norwegian conscript soldiers patrolling the border with Russia. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
“A strong NATO in the north is important for our security. NATO has an ambitious plan for when the centre will be operational. Delivering on NATO’s timetable is important for Norway and the Nordic region. The defence base in Bodø is the only place with buildings that can be put in a position to meet the requirements within the deadline,” the minister explains.

The decision to establish a third CAOC came after the inclusion in the alliance of Sweden and Finland.

The Norwegian revised national budget was announced by Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg on May 15.

With the additional budget money, the Nordic country will spend about 172 billion NOK (€14,76 billion) on its defence in 2025. The sum corresponds to 3,3 percent of the country’s GDP.

Located in Kirkenes, Norway, just a few kilometres from the borders to Russia and Finland, the Barents Observer is dedicated to cross-border journalism in Scandinavia, Russia and the wider Arctic.

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