The Norwegian Army has presented its development concept Morgendagens Hær (The Army of Tomorrow), which sets the direction for the army's development up to 2040. Seven areas are prioritised, including firepower, electronic warfare, artificial intelligence and unmanned systems.
"We cannot wait until all the answers are known before we start developing the army. We must learn faster, test new solutions and translate experience into operational capability," says Army Chief Major General Lars S. Lervik in a statement from the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret).
The concept has been developed against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation and lessons learned from modern land warfare. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces, the war in Ukraine demonstrates, among other things, the importance of drones, electronic warfare, long range precision weapons and closer integration of sensors and weapon systems.
The seven priority areas are firepower, a data driven army, adaptive protection and deception, manoeuvre in the electromagnetic spectrum, AI assisted sensor to effector networks, cooperation between manned and unmanned systems, and endurance in a prolonged conflict.
The Norwegian Army also wants to change its cooperation with the defence industry. Companies will be involved earlier in procurement processes and will contribute to developing solutions based on operational needs. The concept also advocates dedicated processes for rapid innovation, early prototypes and systematic field trials. Among other things, this is intended to make it easier for small and medium sized enterprises to supply the Norwegian Armed Forces.
For fully developed products, common and standardised solutions will be prioritised. The Army favours materiel commonality with Nordic countries and other close allies, as well as joint procurement where appropriate.
Morgendagens Hær replaces an earlier concept from 2021. The document is not a detailed plan for future procurements, but is intended to guide priorities, experimentation activities and long term capability development.