Bodø proposed as permanent location for NATO's air operations centre

Norway's government has decided to offer the Norwegian Armed Forces' base in Bodø, Norway, as the permanent location for NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC).

According to a news release published by the Norwegian government on 19 December 2025, the decision is based on experience gained from the temporary establishment of CAOC Bodø and the further maturation of the project. CAOC Bodø was set up in 2025 as a new regional air operations centre for NATO and was temporarily placed at the Norwegian Armed Forces' base in Bodø on 1 October 2025.

In the release, Norway's Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik comments on the decision.

"CAOC Bodø is a clear expression of NATO's presence in the north. The decision on CAOC in the Bodø area stands firm," says Tore O. Sandvik, Norway's Minister of Defence, according to the release.

It is further stated that experience from the temporary solution shows significant gains in both cost and time if the permanent location is established at the Norwegian Armed Forces' base in Bodø rather than at Reitan. The Chief of Defence has, in a new recommendation, pointed to the advantages of using the current temporary location as the permanent solution.

"The Chief of Defence is clear in his new recommendation. He has described the benefits of using the temporary CAOC at the Norwegian Armed Forces' base in Bodø as the permanent CAOC, and that this should form the basis for further work. The government has therefore concluded that it will offer this as a permanent location in the continued dialogue with NATO," says Sandvik in the release.

According to the source, CAOC Bodø is NATO's regional headquarters for the command and control of allied air forces in the High North. The air operations centre is to be able to lead, plan, coordinate and monitor air operations in peace, crisis and conflict. CAOC Bodø is subordinate to NATO's command in Norfolk and is part of a joint network together with the air operations centres in Germany and Spain, which together monitor allied airspace around the clock.