This happened behind the scenes when the defense chief got the tanks he didn't want
The Center Party fought for an immediate tank purchase, while Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was open to postponing the billion-dollar decision. It ended with the defense chief being run over twice in the process.
4 MIN
PUBLISHED: 09.02.23 — 04.00
UPDATED:2 DAYS AGO
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) was at the Rena camp a week ago to talk about Norway's purchase of new German tanks. The price is secret, but is within the cost frame of 19.7 billion, according to the government.
Tore Gjerstad and Marie Melgård
The heated dispute over the purchase of tanks ended last Friday when the government announced that Norway will buy 54 Leopard 2A7s from Germany, with an option for a further 18 tanks.
This was completely contrary to the recommendations of Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen.
DN has spoken to a number of sources close to the process in the government apparatus and the Armed Forces and can now tell about the tug-of-war behind the scenes - about both when the decision should be made and which country we should buy from.
Not only did the defense chief lose the battle over what he thought was a wrong prioritization. He also did not get his way about what type of tanks it should be, according to DN's information:
Kristoffersen wanted South Korean tanks. It was not relevant for the government.
On Friday last week, Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp), Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) and Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) were in Rena camp to announce the large investment in German Leopard A24 tanks.
Bomb
The conflict began in earnest when Defense Chief Eirik Kristoffersen recommended in November that Norway should not buy tanks, but rather spend the money on helicopters, long-range fire and air defense.
He did so despite previous military advice, a political majority in favor of the purchase in the Storting and the Støre government's stated position in favor of the acquisition.
Just after DN mentioned the defense chief's bomb, army chief Lars Lervik sent out a message:
"To all in the army": "A recommendation to cancel the acquisition of new tanks for the Armed Forces would not be in line with my professional recommendations."
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) assured that the government is "planning for the acquisition of tanks. The process continues in line with the future plan that has been laid out."
But internally in the government it was not so simple.
Defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen did not get his way.
Open mind
The government had intended to enter into a contract for new tanks by the end of 2022.
But after the defense chief's surprising advice, the government's security committee (RSU) had to take a stand.
According to sources, Støre went into the matter with an open mind as to whether the decision had to be made before Christmas or whether it could be postponed. It is described that he had no strong opinions about the outcome, but that the chief of defence's advice had to be taken seriously, and that several rounds had to be made with the ministries and the chief of defence.
The Center Party, on the other hand, was more impatient: They wanted to buy tanks as soon as possible.
Støre and the government's security committee had to consider the two extremes: Ignore the chief of defense's advice and buy tanks before Christmas, or postpone the decision until professional military advice is presented in May.
Professional military advice is the Chief of Defense's recommendation for how the Armed Forces should look in the future and must be delivered no later than 31 May this year.
The head of the defense and foreign affairs committee in the Storting, Ine Eriksen Søreide (H), argued in DN for a postponement of the tank decision.
The head of the defense and foreign affairs committee at the Storting, Ine Eriksen Søreide (H).
- The decisions to be taken for the Army must fit into an overall defense structure, she said then.
Put simply: It is smarter to decide on such a large investment, of up to 20 billion, after Norway has decided which defense we will have.
Secret meeting
The parties began to stir when the news broke that the well-known tank purchase could end up in the drawer.
The Center Party has for a long time been the leading supporters of tanks, among other things with the help of former defense chief Harald Sunde, who now heads the government's total defense commission.
In Ap, the view on tanks has been more divided. Therefore, the supporters of tanks were unsure where Støre would land.
That was the reason why a little-known body was mobilised: the Labor Party has its own professional political committee for the Armed Forces. An emergency meeting was called for December 15 with one item on the agenda: tanks.
There met representatives of LO organizations in the Armed Forces, the LO leadership and parliamentary representatives in the foreign affairs and defense committee for Labor.
- We had no reason to doubt the Center Party's yes to tanks, but we were more uncertain about the Labor leadership in the government. Therefore, we had to give them a clear message: the tank purchase had to be carried out, says one of those present.
According to DN's sources, the meeting was not insignificant for the government's next election, but not decisive.
Spend more time
In the dialogue between the Prime Minister's office and the Ministry of Defense about the two extremes - to buy tanks before Christmas or to wait until spring - they rather landed on an intermediate position.
The deadline for giving a final answer to the tank manufacturers expired on 1 March.
This made it possible to spend more time listening to the chief of defense and getting as much information as possible on the table before the final decision was made.
In this phase, according to DN's knowledge, it was completely open whether the government would end up deferring the decision to the professional military council in May.
Deadline
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) is said to have pushed for a faster decision.
The reason was that the purchase decision had come very far, with two providers in negotiations: German Krauss-Maffei, which produces the Leopard 2A7, and South Korean Hyundai Rotem, which makes the K2 Black Panther.
And Defense Minister Gram had an ace up his sleeve: The deadline to make up his mind was approaching. And if it was exceeded, Norway would lose its place in the queue.
The providers could then proceed with other countries, it was claimed.
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) did not want to wait until May for the defense chief's military advice.
As a result of the war in Ukraine, the pressure on manufacturers is greater. There are long production times and a limited capacity for the production of defense material. A possible postponement could delay the delivery of tanks to Norway by several years.
Even with a decision by the deadline, the tanks from Germany could not be delivered until 2026.
The tank purchase should therefore take place now, Gram believed.
Sources tell DN that it eventually became clear, also to Støre, that it was possible and necessary to make the decision sooner than waiting for professional military advice in the spring.
Another argument was that there would not be much to gain by waiting for the Professional Military Council, because the process of developing a new concept for the army would take a long time.
But when it became clear that the government would go ahead with buying tanks without taking into account the professional military advice, a new challenge emerged from the defense chief.
Panther, not Leopard
Kristoffersen recommended that Norway purchase South Korean Panthers - not German Leopards. This has been confirmed by DN from several sources in the government apparatus.
As DN has previously written, Defense Materiel in an earlier round should have recommended the purchase of the South Korean tank K2 Black Panther both because of price and delivery possibility.
- The recommendation is graded, I therefore do not have the opportunity to comment, writes Lieutenant-Colonel Per Espen Strande in an email on behalf of the Chief of Defense.
The K2 Black Panther, which is manufactured in South Korea, was the chief of defense's first choice if, against his recommendation, tanks were to be purchased.
As far as DN is aware, it was clear all along from the government's side that the purchase had to be German for the sake of the relationship with and cooperation with Germany - as long as the tanks met technical requirements.
- We had the idea all along that cooperation with Germany was important, says a government source.
The German Leopards are the same type of tank that, among others, Sweden and Finland have, two neighboring countries that are on their way to join NATO, and with which we shall cooperate more closely.
The second assessment is that the Ukraine war has shown the need to have proximity and close ties, both politically and geographically, to the supply lines.
On Thursday 2 February, the decision was hammered out in the government conference.
Kristoffersen's recommendation not to buy tanks was therefore not listened to by the Støre government. The defense chief was also run over on which tank Norway should buy.
Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen (right) thought Norway should drop the purchase of tanks and instead spend the money on helicopters, among other things. Here he is with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in connection with the Cold Response exercise last year.
- We have decided to cooperate with Germany on this acquisition. Our relationship with Germany is central, Støre said when the tank purchase was announced last Friday.
In an interview with DN the same day, the defense chief called the purchase "a good compromise" - because the government ended up buying fewer tanks than planned.
- This means that everyone is satisfied, said Kristoffersen.
Amazing
Former chief of defense Sverre Diesen, now chief researcher at the Defense Research Institute, believes it is "amazing" that the government did not wait for the chief of defense's professional military advice before deciding to buy 54 tanks.
- When the government chooses not to follow the chief of defense's recommendation, at the same time as a professional military council that sees the entire Armed Forces in context is imminent, it would of course be most logical and sensible for the government to wait with the decision, says Diesen.
Former defense chief Sverre Diesen, who is now chief researcher at FFI, believes the government's decision is illogical.
He points out that the purchase of tanks now means that the government will take a decision on which defense concept Norway will have for many years to come, before the technical input is ready.
- Tanks are the core weapons platform in a mechanized operational concept. Now the government has decided that it is this concept that is still needed to defend Northern Norway. Considering that it is completely unrealistic, as FFI has pointed out in a separate report, it is astonishing, says Diesen.
The Prime Minister's office has submitted DN's information and Diesen's criticism, but does not wish to comment on internal processes in the government.
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram points out that the conclusion for a long time has been that a modern tank "is the most suitable for solving the land force's tasks in the defense of Norway."
- The recommendation from the Defense Staff is graded. The government has carried out a comprehensive assessment of conditions linked to the acquisition of tanks. This also includes conditions beyond the professional military, including security and defense policy conditions and cooperation with allies, says Gram.