Norway will increase the number of conscripts

The Norwegian government announced at a press conference that it will increase the number of conscripts by 50% from the current approximately 9,000 to 13,500 per year. At the same time, the government admitted that it would take time to do it properly.

Norway has a partial conscription system, which means that not everyone has to serve in the army. Those selected from citizens between the ages of 19 and 47 take a test to determine their suitability for service and undergo basic military training. This can be followed by service in the reserves. The total length of service is approximately 19 months.

Of all people who receive an invitation to serve, about 15% or 9,000 people are called up per year. The government wants to increase this ratio to 25%.

“We need to take better care of the people we already have and we need new ones,” Norwegian Defense Minister Björn Arild Gramm said.

The government plans to create up to 400 new positions in order to effectively manage the expected increase in the number of conscripts.

“People are the most important resource of the Norwegian Armed Forces. We need to have enough people with the right expertise at the right time,” Gram said.

The government plans to modernize and expand the recruitment center in Terningmoen, 140 kilometers north of Oslo, to train around 1,800 recruits four times a year, up from around 300 at present.

While the development of the center is underway, the army will lease the civilian infrastructure. The modernization of the center is expected to be completed by 2036.