Colonel Jørn Qviller has been appointed as the new commander of Brigade Nord (Brigade North) in the Norwegian Army. The decision was made in a Council of State meeting on Friday, according to a press release from the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret). Qviller will take up the post at a date to be determined by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.

Qviller is simultaneously promoted to Brigadier General, succeeding Brigadier General Terje Bruøygard, who is to undertake further education at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.

He comes most recently from the position of Head of the Military Strategic Section at the Norwegian Defence Staff, but has previously also served as commander of Finnmark Land Defence (FLF, Finnmark Landforsvar), which subsequently became the Finnmark Brigade. He vacated that post after Norway earlier this year decided to establish the new Finnmark Brigade, where Brigadier General John Olav Fuglem is now leading the build-up of the new brigade based on the current Finnmark Land Defence structure.

– With Colonel Jørn Qviller, Brigade Nord gains a highly experienced and capable commander. Qviller has extensive experience from, among other things, international operations, and has previously served as Deputy Commander of the Intelligence Battalion, Commander of the Ranger Battalion (Jegerbataljonen) GSV, and later Finnmark Land Defence, says Army Chief Major General Lars S. Lervik in the press release.

According to Lervik, Qviller will continue the development of Brigade Nord, including through the introduction of a fourth mechanised battalion and new main battle tanks.

– He knows the Army's area of operations very well. He has the best possible conditions for further developing our defence plans in close cooperation with the Finnmark Brigade and the Army's other units, says Lervik.