Why does the Norwegian Navy paint bar codes on the sides of their ships?
Because the Swedes told them they have radar scanners.
3 Likes
So when they come back to port they can Scandinavian.
8 Likes
So that American Navy vessel can identify them as friends and don’t run them down??
1 Like
You mean on purpose, right?
2 Likes
I believe the Norwegian Navy still have problem with lack of funds and/or personnel to keep even their present fleet active. I’m not well enough informed to say which for sure. There is still a conscript system in use in Norway, but that doesn’t help for the Officer ranks and the skilled POs and WOs.
Bringing in civilian wouldn’t help much, if any who are “fighting fit” is willing to join. (As you probably know, being out of work is not as dramatic in Norway as in USA)
The Norwegian Coast Guard is partly manned by civilians and some of the vessels are even owned and managed by private companies: http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/norways-new-opvs-flexibility-power-efficiency-opportunity-02437/
The Coast guard keep some officers onboard though.
NATO is not a piggy bank, where member nations put in money. (Even though Mr. Trump appears to think so) I believe the agreement is that all members shall spend 2% of their GDP on defence by 2024. Norway and most other NATO nations are heading towards that goal, by that time, with a few agreed exemptions. (Iceland hardly have any defence of their own)
I realize that the popular notion is that US taxpayers are carrying a too big burden, but that is the price you pay for being, and wanting to continue to be, the world’s hegemon. Dominance is nice, but it costs.
Whether it is worth the cost to build, operate and maintain huge fleet of Naval ships, aircrafts, standing Army and foreign bases, is obviously for the American people to decide, but you cannot have it both ways.
1 Like
I hope both on purpose and accidently. We all have to do our part to help them.
1 Like
In 2006 NATO members agreed to spend 2% on defense. Most freeloaders didn’t bother. A few at least got close by counting humanitarian aid, developing nation aid and such as part of the 2%.
2 Likes
This is why we can’t have nice things.
4 Likes
There is a glaring omission from this list. Where are the Norwegian carriers? The entire world knows that only Norwegians are capable of building the largest and most technically advanced ships ever seen… unless the ships are so advanced they don’t want to embarrass the other countries. Can you I magine all the vibrating recliners, Turkish bath houses, saunas, jacuzzis one of those could hold? Upgraded Kongsberg K-Pos DP infinity with the intergrated K-Chief Hal 10,000 fully sentient AI package. Oh shit I just realized they have drone carrier submarines that’s why we don’t know about them. They’ve been redirecting their NATO funds to build these things in the fjords. When the shooting starts they will just pop up out of nowhere and unleash autonomous drone swarms to attack other carriers. Sneaky sons of bitches.
8 Likes
The Norwegian carriers are so advanced they are completely stealth and so far the only way to detect one is by the smell (Lutefisk). Nobody is quite sure what they even look like, but now is a good time to speculate if you have any ideas.
3 Likes
2 Likes
We are buying F-35 and P-8 Poseidon from the US, how is that freeloading? When we are selling NSM to the US, we have to sett up a production line in USA. You are making money, by being big dick in NATO.
Don’t forget, the only nation to trigger article 5 is USA.
1 Like
Unless you are an admiral or a defense contractor.
2 Likes
For the facts about the 2% pledge, read this article by Carnegie Europe: http://carnegieeurope.eu/2015/09/02/politics-of-2-percent-nato-and-security-vacuum-in-europe-pub-61139
Fraqrat’s accurate description must have crossed yours.
PS> Please make sure the “Fake News” button is kept well clear of the “Nuclear Button”.
We don’t want any mistakes, do we??
1 Like
That is the Norwegian Navy as I remember it; “Big boys playing with expensive toys”.
When I was serving on the MTBs we got into trouble from circling a Hydrofoil on the Bergen-Stavanger run while it was making abt. 30 kts,
Our wake caused it to lose enough speed to come down off it’s “high perk” rather rapidly. Nobody got injured, but some cutlery got broken and some egos dented.
The headline in the local Bergen newspaper the next day was as quoted above.
The proforma Navy investigation did not amount to much, except some giggles and a slap on the wrist for the Commander.
As Coxswain I was steering the boat at the time, but as a lowly PO I didn’t feature in the enquiry report.
Currently, the US unemployment rate is 4.3%, and in Norway it’s 4.5%. No, I"m not going to site sources, there’s too many to site on that statistic. Dominance is required from the U.S. and any time we’ve tried to become “nationalistic” or “isolationist” we end up having to come bail out someone somewhere because we are also a member of NATO. Your welcome. Continue to build your stealth aircraft carriers and display Norway’s superior ship building craft for the world’s greater good! Oh, wait…
Europe has a much bigger population than Russia and a successful industrialized economy several times larger. Most of Russia is still an impoverished Stalinist shithole. Russia has vast mineral and oil wealth and should be a wealthy country, but it’s a corrupt, mismanaged and nearly bankrupt nation.
If Europe is not willing to spend enough of its vastly superior wealth to defend itself from the Russians, let the Russians have them.
I see no reason why I should be paying 40 percent taxes, plus buying my own medical insurance, to defend Europe when they are unwilling to pay for a small portion of their own defense.
5 Likes