The Office of National Audit has discovered a weakness in the communications system of the Norwegian Armed Forces which could have major consequences for national security.

– Today the National Audit Office presented one of the most serious reports we have ever presented, said Auditor General Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen on Tuesday.

– The reason for the strong criticism of the Supreme Audit Agency is that the weaknesses we reveal could have major consequences for national security, the Auditor General further said.

It is the ICT system at issue, the audit states. Both the security and functionality of the information systems are too poor, according to the National Audit Office. In addition, the Ministry of Defense’s management system is also claimed to be weak.

Lysbakken: Erna’s fault

SV says it should be cleaned up, but blames Erna Solberg.

– Here the Solberg government has clearly neglected itself, and I hope the Ap/Sp government will follow up soon, SV leader Audun Lysbakken told Dagbladet.

– The Solberg government has a heavy responsibility for this, and this report comes on top of previous strong criticism of the work its government is doing with object security and fighter purchases. These together form a serious picture of the management of ABRI, he continued.

The MDGs wholeheartedly agree.

– This is a scandal. Government after government has not prioritized preparedness and now we are seeing the costs. Unfortunately, all of Erna’s promises to focus on readiness turned out to be bluffs, Lan Marie Berg said.

– Serious failure in Defense system

Blame Erna

Both sides of the government acknowledged the seriousness of the criticism from the Supreme Audit Agency, before they also blamed Erna Solberg.

– This is a very serious critique that we must bear in mind. From our side, there is a clear hope of fixing this soon. The vulnerabilities disclosed by BPK pose a risk of weakening operational capabilities in the Armed Forces. “If we want to be able to defend our country, with the least possible loss of life and material, then we depend on the Armed Forces to be able to talk together and share information,” Even Eriksen (Ap) told Dagbladet.

The Center Party says these shortfalls have accumulated over time, and blames the government of Erna Solberg.

– It is impossible not to see this in the context of the BPK case we handled in the previous period regarding object protection and the purchase of new helicopters. This, to put it mildly, is the unfortunate legacy of the Conservative government. It is imperative that these deficiencies be discovered by the National Audit Office and exposed, Nils T. Bjørke (Sp) told Dagbladet.

Frp: – Not Erna’s fault

Christian Tybring-Gjedde of the FRP said the issue of ICT in the Armed Forces was unknown.

– It doesn’t surprise me, no. This problem is caused by the fact that the system is becoming more and more advanced. It’s easy to acquire a system, but to follow through on it is more difficult. The armed forces are competing with business on the ICT side, and business is flirting with much better conditions, says Tybring-Gjedde.

He is aware that the problem must be dealt with quickly, but disagrees that this is a problem that Erna Solberg’s government is to blame.

– No, this is a social challenge that does not involve party politics. Nobody wants to make this trouble for the Armed Forces, he said.

Never go alone

Right: – Seriously

The head of the control committee at Storting, Peter Frølich (H), took the findings of the National Audit Office seriously.

– This is an important and serious report. Fortunately, the findings were not known to the Norwegian authorities. The findings coincide with what the Ministry of Defense itself reported in 2018. In 2019, major steps were taken to correct the error. We have high hopes for this work, and I see that the Secretary of Defense thinks the same. That’s reassuring, Frølich told Dagbladet.

He warned that the control committee at Storting would consider the case thoroughly.

Red: – Full review

Seher Aydar, parliamentary representative for Rødt, also wants a thorough review of the findings of the National Audit Office.

– At a time when one of our closest neighbours is being sabotaged, it is troubling that the National Audit Office discovered that vulnerabilities in the Norwegian Armed Forces’ information systems could make it more difficult to deal with attacks against Norwegian targets. It cannot be maintained, now the Ministry of Defense must conduct a full study, Aydar told Dagbladet.