• 14:20: It was first reported that the British Defense Force would set up a military base in Målselv. This is not true, according to the Norwegian Armed Forces. They will move to the camp. The problem has now been updated.

A camp for British troops will be set up at Øverbygd in Troms, the Royal Navy said in a statement pers conference. It is planned that the camp will run for ten years.

England took over the camp last year from the Netherlands. Then it was called Camp Orange.

It has now been renamed Viking Camp, and a thousand British commandos will be stationed here. There are almost as many people living in Øverbygd.

Ideal for preventing threats

Press contacts at the Royal Navy told NRK that the camp’s location was ideal for preventing threats in the region.

– The camp is located so that the UK can respond quickly if necessary, and protect the northern flank of NATO and their close ally Norway.

Press contacts say that with the north becoming an important area again, the Royal Navy needs new training grounds.

It was highlighted that the camp had a good training area, close to Sørreisa for conducting amphibious operations. This base can and does serve as a forward operating base to support NATO exercises.

According to French news agency AFP, Norway’s base policy is the reason why the base will only be operated for ten years.

– There was no violation of Norwegian base policy

Øverbygd is located in the municipality of Målselv. The Skjold military camp is also located there, where British troops are currently stationed in connection with the Joint Viking exercise.

The UK itself announced that a military base would be established, but that is not true, according to lieutenant colonel and press officer at the Norwegian Armed Forces, Vegard Norstad Finberg.

– The camp in question was founded several years ago when the Åsegarden camp outside Harstad was closed as an allied training center. In other words, what emerged was neither anything new nor a violation of basic Norwegian policy, Finberg said.

According to the press monitoring of the Norwegian Armed Forces, this is about who owns the camp. In this case, Norway owned it, but the camp was available to allied troops.

– The misunderstanding in this case is whether this is something that is established permanently and you have an ownership relationship. This can be described as a base, Finberg said.

– However the British did not want to have anything permanently on Norwegian soil. They can use these facilities for training and practice, because we also provide other places.

The Ministry of Defense also clarified this. The claim is untrue, according to the Ministry of Defense.

– Camp Viking is not a British base, emphasized the ministry to NTB.

The mayor is positive

The mayor of Målselv, Bent Magne Luneng (SV), said that people in Øverbygd and Målselv are used to the presence of Norway and its allies in the region.

– It is interesting that the British want to come to our region to train under the Arctic skies. I only look positively at those who come here to train.