U.S. Marine Corps to establish temporary presence of some 330 troops in Norway in 2017

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) will establish a limited rotational force presence of about 330 Marines in central Norway beginning in January 2017, the Norwegian defence ministry said on Monday.

The U.S. Marine Corps Rotational Force will be stationed at the Vaernes military base near the central city of Trondheim and its presence "will provide significantly enhanced opportunities for mutual exercises and improved interoperability," the ministry said in a statement.

"The training and exercise activities will not be limited to Vaernes, but will take place also at other locations in Norway. A rotational presence of USMC will also facilitate development of the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program in Norway," Norway's defence minister Ine Eriksen Soreide was quoted as saying.

"Following an initial evaluation during the trial-period in 2017, we will determine how to proceed with the USMC rotational presence beyond 2017," she said.

According to the Norwegian defence ministry, this rotational force agreement builds on the framework of the longstanding agreements between the United States and Norway on prepositioning and reinforcement, renewed in 2005 in the Memorandum of Understanding Governing Prestockage and Reinforcement of Norway.

The renewal of the agreement, which was approved by the Storting (Parliament) in 2006, opens for a considerable increase of American training and exercises in Norway.

"This U.S.-initiative is welcome and also fits well within ongoing processes in NATO to increase exercises, training and interoperability within the Alliance," said Soreide.

Norway became a founding member of the U.S.-led NATO alliance in 1949 and decided not to allow foreign troops to be stationed on the Norwegian soil in peacetime as long as the country was not attacked or being threatened with hostilities. Endit