"The Important Thing is that the Allied Air Operations Center is Actually Placed in Norway”

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In February 2025, it was revealed that Norway will be responsible for establishing NATO's third Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC).

The two other regional air operations centers are located in Uedem, Germany, and Torrejón in Spain. In short, the centers are responsible for planning, leading, coordinating, surveilling, and supporting air operations in their areas of responsibility in peace, crisis, and conflict.

In Norway, Bodø in Northern Norway and Rygge in Eastern Norway have been pointed out as the two most likely locations for its establishment. Last week, the new Norwegian Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik (Labor) visited the two cities regarding the establishment matter.

The question of the air operations center's location has been an ongoing debate since it was first revealed that Norway offered to host it. The debate includes matters such as NATO requirements, staff issues, security, housing, flight connections and travel routes, whether there are international schools nearby and similar offers for families.

Focus on the big picture

Professor Håkon Lunde Saxi at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College. (Photo: Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College)

"In Norway, most people are discussing where the new air operations center will be located, and the debate does not address much of what the establishment is all about, namely that a new military command structure is now being constructed for the Nordic region and Northern Europe, and what this entails for the defense of the region."

This is what Professor Håkon Lunde Saxi at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College says to High North News. Saxi researches Nordic defense policy and military strategy.

"All the Nordic countries are soon to be gathered under NATO's new joint operational headquarters, Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC-N), which is located in the US," he continues.

"This is a historical military strategic gathering of the Nordic countries under a joint command structure."

Saxi points out that the regional headquarters about to be built up in the Nordic region, with the Combined Air Operations Centre as the foremost example in Norway, is one part of this greater picture."

"Norway has been allocated the regional air operations headquarters (the CAOC), which will be under Allied Air Command, HQ AIRCOM, but will be closely linked to the Norfolk command. A NATO Forward Land Force for the Nordic region will be established in Finland and placed under Norfolk. In Sweden, a logistics command for the Nordics is to be established. In addition, a command is to be established for special forces that Denmark and Norway will lead together.

"From a defense policy and military strategic perspective, these are the important things; that we coordinate command and control of the military forces in the Nordic region – and how to do this. We must look at what this means in terms of connecting the NATO alliance to the defense of Norway and the Nordic region. This is undercommunicated in the public discourse," says Saxi.

Tapping into the location debate

In the location debate, Saxi highlights that the most important element is that the air operations center is in fact placed in Norway.

"We have a long history and tradition of connecting our allies to Norway, for example, through the establishment of headquarters," he says and adds:

"With Sweden and Finland in NATO, we are no longer alone [on the Northern flank of NATO, ed. note], but the same still applies; we want to link important allies to us through the establishment of NATO headquarters, where high-level allied military chiefs and officers work, are present, have situational awareness and a relationship with the Norwegian territory."

Would you say it would be significant if the center were placed in the High North?

"It likely won't have any military strategic or operational significance, whether placed in Bodø or Rygge. The most important thing is that it is placed in Norway, or at least in the Nordics, and is manned by Nordic officers, as well as officers from other NATO countries. There could be several hundred," continues Saxi.

"The location of the center must, therefore, reflect the requirements NATO places on Norway, that it must be possible for officers to get there, bring their families, that there are flight connections and international schools there," he says. Regarding the latter point, the Bodø International School will open in fall 2025. There are international schools in the wider regional area of Rygge as well.

Professor Paal Sigurd Hilde at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies at the Norwegian Defence University College. (Photo: the Norwegian Defence University College)

Professor Paal Sigurd Hilde at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, at the Norwegian Defence University College is also clear that the center's location is not significant on an operational level.

"Those who work there sit in the mountain and control operations on computers. Another example that illustrates this is the US headquarters in Tampa, Florida, which leads the air operations in the Middle East."

Local significance

"At the same time, the regional matter is important in Norway for obvious reasons. What matters in terms of location is at the local level; such as jobs and activity. It also looks like the location part has been important for other allies in terms of how easy it is to get there and live there," elaborates Hilde.

According to a partially redacted document, obtained by newspaper Aftenposten, Rygge is for instance highlighted by the Norwegian Air Force, based on the personnel dimension, both from a national and allied perspective, among other things.

Northern connection

In support of Bodø as a location, Bodø Mayor Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (Conservative) has among other things highlighted the security policy dimension. 

"We are (...) concerned with elevating the security policy dimension; namely, that physical presence, both by the Norwegian defense, but also by NATO in the North, is an important signal, marks strength, and in my opinion contributes to increasing our security," Ingebrigtsen recently told HNN. 

"This is ultimately a political matter, and we hope the government will decide wisely. We think it is natural that such a center should be located in the North," the Mayor of Bodø added. 

"From a narrow Norwegian perspective, there could be some arguments for establishing this headquarters in Northern Norway in terms of jobs, as well having more allied personnel stationed closer to Norway's exposed flank in the North," says Saxi at the Norwegian Defence University College.

"But these uniquely Norwegian needs must be weighed against NATO's wishes and needs. It is more important that we will have an air operations center that works well on the alliance's northern flank," Saxi argues.

MoD visits Northern candidate

While visiting Bodø recently, MoD Sandvik highlighted that both Bodø and Rygge have what it takes to make the Combined Air Operations Centre work.

"The most important aspect is to make the center work and I believe both places will be capable of that. There will also be a comprehensive assessment regarding how quickly it can be built up and how well it can work," Sandvik elaborated

The Norwegian government states that work on deciding the location will continue until the summer, in dialogue with NATO.