The changes will help create a clearer division of responsibilities between the armed forces and its procurement division.

Norway’s defence procurement process is being overhauled to improve efficiency in defence spending, an announcement from the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (FMA) revealed on 28 May.

A clearer division of responsibilities has been created between the FMA and the Norwegian Armed Forces, the FMA said, giving both departments distinct remits and functions.

The FMA will be focused on procurement, as well as design and materiel security, while the armed forces will take responsibility for operations and maintenance.

This reform will help Norway’s armed forces secure military equipment in an “efficient and comprehensive” manner, Chief of the Norwegian Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Ingrid Gjerde said.

“This is much more than just an internal change between the agencies in the defence sector”, FMA Director Gro Jære added.

“This is one of the most comprehensive reforms of materiel operations and maintenance since the Armed Forces Logistics Organisation was established in the early 2000s, and includes, among other things, the discontinuation of the previous model of materiel management and system responsibility”, Jære continued.

This departmental restructuring will mean the transferral of 150 employees from the FMA into the army, as well as the creation of two new supply commands in the armed forces to replace two FMA departments that will be closed.

The FMV had not responded to DSEI at the time of publication. 

Changes come amid wider sector reform which has seen the FMA take over responsibility for framework agreements for operations from the armed forces in October 2024, while responsibility for the armed forces’ secure platforms has moved from FMA to the Cyber Defence Force.