Norway Plans $11bn Increase in Defense Budget Over Next Decade
Last update: March 27, 2026
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NATO member cites worsening security environment and aims to meet alliance spending target.
Norway, a NATO member bordering Russia, said Friday it will increase its defence budget by 115 billion kroner 11 billion dollars over the next decade, citing a deteriorating security situation.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told a press conference the plan would raise spending from 112 billion kroner today to more than 190 billion kroner by 2035.
The increase would mark a near tripling of Norway’s defence budget compared with levels before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Store said the move would put Norway on track to meet NATO target of spending 3.5 percent of gross domestic product on defence.
He described the plan as a major priority to strengthen Norway’s military capabilities amid a more serious and unpredictable security landscape.
Norway has raised defence spending every year since 2021, when the annual budget stood at 65 billion kroner.
Norway and Russia share a 198 kilometre land border in the far north, as well as a maritime boundary in the Barents Sea.
In a statement, the government outlined key priorities including new submarines and frigates, as well as upgrades to critical defence infrastructure.
It also plans to boost electronic warfare capacity, short range air defences and autonomous systems.
Store added that defence equipment has become more expensive.
