{"id":51962,"date":"2018-06-13T12:30:35","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T12:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/13\/norways-coast-guard-stares-down-big-challenges-in-arctic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:43:50","slug":"norways-coast-guard-stares-down-big-challenges-in-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/13\/norways-coast-guard-stares-down-big-challenges-in-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"Norway\u2019s Coast Guard stares down big challenges in Arctic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN COAST GUARD VESSEL HARSTAD IN THE GREENLAND SEA \u2014 During the three weeks the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel Harstad sailed around Svalbard in late May, it was the only military ship available to respond to a crisis in the vast waters surrounding the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that reality is the norm<\/a> and likely will be for a long time, even as demands on the service grow by leaps and bounds, said the Harstad\u2019s commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Kyrre Einarsen, on May 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Svalbard is Norway\u2019s northernmost island, a landmass about the size of Ireland situated in the Arctic Circle. Although Svalbard is considered the sovereign territory of Norway, and thus can be defended by NATO if attacked<\/a>, it is governed by a 1920 treaty that forbids any country from building a military installation there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason, the job of securing Svalbard falls to Norway\u2019s Coast Guard, a 350-person force with only 13 ships to patrol the country\u2019s waters, which amount to about seven times the area of its mainland. Of that inventory, only one vessel can be spared at any given time for Svalbard\u2019s needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith our structure today, it\u2019s not possible to be always present,\u201d said Einarsen, who said that two or three vessels could be needed in the future to accomplish all of the missions around Svalbard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The crew of the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel Harstad conduct a patrol of the icefjords around Svalbard on May 23, 2018. (Valerie Insinna\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Defense News traveled to Svalbard the week of May 20 with a group of current and former U.S. Defense Department officials, foreign policy experts and journalists during a trip sponsored by the Atlantic Council and the Norwegian government. Defense News accepted travel and accommodations during this trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There, officials from the local government and academics studying the environment shared the same message: Things in Svalbard are changing, spurred by climate change and the fact that the ice in the Arctic Circle is receding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruise ships and fishing boats can now reach areas that would normally be covered by a permanent sheet of ice. Greater numbers and numerous types of fish are moving north, making the fishing business even more alluring. And tourism to Svalbard has exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We have to say no\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a given year, the entire Norwegian Coast Guard will accomplish upward of 3,000 missions, both large and small. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with only a single ship in Svalbard, the service is hard-pressed to do all of the tasks to which it\u2019s assigned. \u201cWe have to prioritize. We have to say: \u2018No, no we can\u2019t. We won\u2019t do that for you today. Maybe we can do it next week,\u2019 \u201d Einarsen said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Harstad, which Norway bought in 2009, can do a lot of missions, with some caveats. It can tow a ship weighing up to 100,000 tons, conduct firefighting duties, and deliver water or fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the Harstad can recover 12,000 cubic meters of oil \u2014 making it one of the Coast Guard\u2019s best ships for responding to an oil spill. But that may not be enough for major accidents, Einarsen acknowledged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat can be enough because that depends how big the spill is,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the biggest ship can have more oil onboard sometimes\u201d and another ship may need to be called in to respond. <\/p>\n\n\n\t