By Wang Chengwen

Recently, NATO established an amphibious warfare center in the northern Norwegian city of Sørreisa. The move is seen as another important step by NATO to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic, which is expected to escalate tensions in the region.

Sørreisa is located in Troms County, northern Norway. In the future, this city with a population of about 3,500 will become a strategic hub for NATO. The center will provide an amphibious training site for military personnel from the US, the UK and the Netherlands to enhance the combat capabilities of NATO in the Arctic region.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Norway has stepped up its investment in military facilities, spending almost 16 billion kroner ($1.44 billion) on bases in the Troms region alone. Currently, part of the Norwegian Army and special operations forces have entered the area. Analysts say that these measures by Norway provide both military and political support for the military operations of NATO in the Arctic region.

In addition to the establishment of a new amphibious operations center, NATO has also taken a number of measures to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic region.

It has perfected the military structure. In September this year, Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said that NATO plans to establish a third Combined Air Operations Center in the Arctic region. NATO currently has two Combined Air Operations Centers, one in Uedem, Germany and one in Torrejón, Spain. They are responsible for commanding and coordinating air operations in northern and southern Europe respectively. Aiming to enhance the air defense and interception capabilities of NATO in the Arctic region, the new Combined Air Operations Center will be on par with the two aforementioned centers. It is revealed by some media that the center is likely to be expanded based on an airport somewhere in Sørreisa.

It has improved communication capabilities. In October this year, the R&D plan for a military-grade satellite communications network was adopted during a meeting of NATO's defense ministers in Brussels. It aims to establish a communication network called the Northlink to enhance the communication and navigation capabilities of NATO in the Arctic region. Thirteen NATO members, including the US and five Nordic nations, have already signed a letter of intent.

It has enhanced the infrastructure. This March, three Nordic countries, including Norway, Sweden, and Finland, began constructing the Arctic Military Transport Corridor to ensure the rapid movement of military personnel and equipment from Norway's ports into Finland through Sweden. It was put into use during the Immediate Response joint exercise held in April. The US Army convoyed over 200 military vehicles and 300 containers via rail transport from the port of Narvik in Norway to Finland through locations such as Boden and Haparanda of Norrbotten in Sweden.

It has increased training and exercise activities. Driven by the US, NATO has increased both the frequency and scale of military exercises in the Arctic in recent years. Just this year, several joint exercises were held, including Immediate Response, Arctic Edge, and Ice Camp. Norway, where the amphibious warfare centre of NATO is located, has also jointly held exercises with the US, including Cold Response 2022, Arctic Challenge 2023, Dynamic Mongoose 24, and Nordic Response 2024.