Norwegian Coastal Rangers Participate in NATO Exercise Joint Viking 2025

HARSTAD, Norway — A team of Norwegian commandos has been seen engaging in training exercises on the cold waters of the Norwegian Sea as part of NATO's Joint Viking exercise. This year’s drill took place earlier this month and included maneuvers designed to enhance the skills of the Norwegian Coastal Rangers, a marine commando unit specialized in littoral combat environments.

Training Operations Amid Rising Tensions

During the exercise, officers wearing the Norwegian flag climbed from a smaller commando boat onto a larger offshore patrol ship operated by the Norwegian Coast Guard. The operation involved a pole with a hook and a shaky ladder, highlighting the challenging conditions under which these forces operate. The boarding scenario is critical in the current context of NATO’s defense planning, as officials express concerns over potential sabotage of undersea cables and energy infrastructure by adversaries disguised as research missions or civilian vessels.

The Norwegian Coastal Rangers, a highly adaptable unit of roughly 150 personnel, have a diverse array of responsibilities. These include not only coastal raids and maritime patrols but also intelligence-gathering operations. The increasing recognition of sabotage threats has elevated the role of such specialized units within NATO’s overall defense strategy.

Growing Concerns over Sabotage

The Norwegian Police Security Services published their annual national threat assessment, which reflects a cautionary outlook regarding Russia's readiness to engage in sabotage operations across Europe. As Norway shares both a land border of 198 kilometers (123 miles) with Russia and maritime territory in the Barents Sea, defense officials believe that security risks may rise further by 2025. While Coastal Rangers have not reported any recent surge in illegal or flagged vessels off Norway's coast, they have noted a marked increase in electromagnetic jamming activity over the years. This evolving threat landscape is prompting the Norwegian defense authorities to modernize and enhance the capabilities of the ranger unit.

Investing in Advanced Technology

Norwegian officials are undertaking extensive upgrades to improve the operational capacity of their Coastal Rangers. Key among these enhancements is the acquisition of advanced unmanned technologies, including long-range maritime surveillance drones. Commanding Officer Frode Nakken stated, “We’ve been operating with drones for a few years, primarily fixed-wing models, but they have proven vulnerable to the Arctic climate. The larger and longer-range drones we will get will have more endurance and power to resist these conditions.”

Northern Norway’s winter temperatures can plummet to -10 degrees Celsius, which can severely impact drone battery life. Heavy precipitation further complicates drone operations in this challenging environment.

Future Plans and Collaborations

The 2025-2036 Norwegian Defense Pledge outlines the intention to base unmanned aerial systems at Andøya Air Station, located about 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. In pursuit of this goal, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense has reached out to American manufacturers like Northrop Grumman and General Atomics. Notably, General Atomics has responded by proposing its MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone, which promises to deliver comprehensive maritime radar coverage as well as signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities.

C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesman for General Atomics, emphasized the advantages of the MQ-9B, stating, “It will provide Norway with 360-degree maritime radar coverage and full SIGINT capabilities. The MQ-9B is the only remotely piloted aircraft that can perform anti-submarine warfare missions, which will significantly augment Norway’s current fleet of P-8 patrol aircraft.”

As NATO leaders continue to address security concerns in the region, the Norwegian Coastal Rangers remain a crucial element in the alliance's collective defense framework.

By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo, Europe Correspondent for Defense News
Elisabeth covers military procurement and international security, with a focus on the aviation sector, and is based in Milan, Italy.