Nato-Russia tensions: US deploying bombers to Norway in Cold War-like show of force
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The United States is deploying long-range B-1 bombers to Norway to train in the strategically important High North in a new show of force unseen in the region since the Cold War.
“High North, low tensions” goes an old saying, describing the relatively calm security situation and diplomatic relations in the Arctic for decades.
But mounting tensions between the West and Russia, particularly since the 2014 Crimea crisis, has led both sides to strengthen their militaries even in the remote High North, an area believed to be rich in natural resources and where the ice melt has opened up new shipping routes.
This month, long-range B-1 bombers capable of carrying large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry will arrive at Norway’s Orland airbase for several weeks of training missions with the Scandinavian country’s air force, which guards Nato’s northern border.
“This deployment comes in the context of global military activities in the High North, which have increased significantly in recent years, both from the West and Russia,” noted Kristian Atland, a researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.
“The fact that these are strategic bombers naturally causes concern in Russia,” he added.