Norwegian Coastal Rangers Train Amid Rising Threats from Russia

HARSTAD, Norway — In a military exercise reflecting heightened global tensions, a formation of Norwegian naval vessels participated in NATO‘s Joint Viking 2025 earlier this month, approximately 300 kilometers from a Russian naval base in Murmansk Oblast.

Officers from the Norwegian Coastal Rangers, a specialized commando unit trained for coastal and littoral operations, recently executed a ship-boarding drill aboard a larger Norwegian Coast Guard offshore patrol ship in the frigid Norwegian Sea. This exercise is crucial for enhancing NATO’s defensive readiness as officials express concern over adversaries potentially utilizing civilian vessels for sabotage operations.

The exercise comes amid warnings from the Norwegian Police Security Services, which, in their annual threat assessment, indicated that Russia is demonstrating capabilities for sabotage targeting European infrastructures, a concern for Norway due to its 198-kilometer (123-mile) border with Russia and a maritime boundary in the Barents Sea.

As described by officials, the Coastal Rangers consist of about 150 highly trained personnel capable of diverse missions, including coastal raids, maritime patrol, and intelligence-gathering operations. While officers have not observed an increase in illegal or sanctioned vessels along Norwegian shores, they have noted heightened electromagnetic jamming activities in recent years.

To bolster defense capabilities, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense has approved modernization plans for the Coastal Rangers. These initiatives will include the acquisition of advanced unmanned aerial systems, aimed at enhancing maritime surveillance and operational capacity. Frode Nakken, commanding officer of the Coastal Rangers, explained the necessity of these upgrades during the exercise.

“We’ve been operating with drones for a few years, primarily fixed-wing models, but they have proven vulnerable to the Arctic climate,” Nakken stated. “The larger, long-range drones we will acquire will have improved endurance and resilience against the harsh conditions.”

Winter temperatures in Northern Norway commonly plummet to around -10 degrees Celsius, adversely affecting drone battery life and complicating operational effectiveness. The planned unmanned systems are expected to be stationed at Andøya Air Station, situated roughly 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, as part of the 2025-2036 Norwegian Defense Pledge.

Furthermore, the Norwegian Defense Ministry has reached out to several U.S. manufacturers, including Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, seeking information about their capabilities. A spokesperson from General Atomics confirmed that the company proposed their MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone in response to Norway’s request, emphasizing its potential advantages.

“It will provide Norway with 360-degree maritime radar coverage and full SIGINT capabilities,” General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley noted. “The MQ-9B is the only remotely piloted aircraft capable of executing anti-submarine warfare missions, thereby enhancing Norway’s existing fleet of P-8 patrol aircraft.”