Rank #23 · Europe
Norway spent $17.0B on defense in 2025 (3.3% of GDP), reflecting a sharp acceleration of its Long-Term Defence Plan in response to Russia and Arctic security demands. In March 2026 Oslo unveiled an additional NOK 115B (~US$11.8B) decade-long top-up to reach NATO's 3.5% target by 2035, with the FY2026 budget proposal of NOK 180B further raising the topline.
The 2025 enacted defense budget totaled NOK 110B (a NOK 19.2B YoY increase, ~21% nominal), bringing Norway to roughly 3.3% of GDP. The FY2026 government proposal is approximately NOK 180B once Ukraine support is included, projecting 3.4% of GDP. In March 2026 the Støre government floated an additional NOK 115B (~US$11.8B) over the next decade to reach NATO's 3.5% target by 2035. Procurement priorities include the F-35 fleet sustainment, new Type 26-derived frigates (replacing the Fridtjof Nansen class after the 2018 Helge Ingstad loss), long-range precision-strike (Tomahawk and JSM), maritime patrol P-8A Poseidon, and Arctic surveillance.
The Norwegian Armed Forces field roughly 25,400 active personnel across Army (Brigade Nord), Navy, Air Force and Home Guard, supplemented by approximately 40,000 in the Heimevernet territorial force. Conscription is gender-neutral. The Air Force has fully transitioned to 52 F-35A Lightning IIs, replacing F-16s; the F-35 fleet is the backbone of Norwegian airpower and a NATO Quick Reaction Alert anchor for the High North. The Navy operates 4 Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and 6 Skjold-class corvettes; new submarines (Type 212CD) are under construction with Germany. The Army is reinforcing Brigade Nord in Finnmark.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is the cornerstone — producer of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for the F-35, and NASAMS air-defense system (with Raytheon), all of which have seen demand surge after 2022. NSM/JSM is increasingly the standard Western sub-launched anti-ship missile. Nammo produces ammunition and rocket motors and has secured large orders from NATO partners replenishing Ukraine-bound stocks. Norway exports to Poland, the US, Germany, Australia, and others. Despite robust exports, Norway remains a net importer of major platforms (F-35, P-8, frigates, submarines).
Norway shares a 198 km Arctic border with Russia (Finnmark) and is the NATO front line for High North maritime surveillance, including monitoring Russia's Northern Fleet at Severomorsk. Russian gray-zone activity — GPS jamming over Finnmark, suspected sabotage of subsea cables and pipelines — has intensified since 2022. Norway hosts US Marines in periodic rotational training and the prepositioning of equipment under the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway. Norway is a major financial and military backer of Ukraine, with the Nansen Support Programme exceeding NOK 275B over five years.
On April 27, 2026 SIPRI confirmed Norway's 2025 spending at $17.0B. On March 27, 2026 the government announced an additional NOK 115B over a decade for the Long-Term Defence Plan, with a parallel cancellation of an indigenous strike-drone program. The first new Type 212CD submarine cut steel in 2025. Norway's Tomahawk acquisition was approved by the US in 2025. The FY2026 budget proposal added NOK 4.2B in further increases. Norway also signed a strategic agreement with the UK in 2025 to jointly operate Type 26-derived frigates, the largest single Norwegian defense procurement in history.
Norway spent $17.0B (NOK ~180B) on defense in 2025, equal to 3.3% of GDP per SIPRI. The FY2026 proposal pushes the topline higher, and Norway has committed to reaching NATO's new 3.5% target by 2035 via an additional NOK 115B over the decade.
Norway has acquired 52 F-35A Lightning II aircraft, replacing its F-16 fleet. The F-35 force is fully operational and serves as a NATO Quick Reaction Alert and conventional strike platform with the Norwegian-developed Joint Strike Missile.
Norway shares an Arctic border with Russia and faces sustained gray-zone pressure (GPS jamming, suspected subsea-infrastructure attacks) plus elevated risk from the Russian Northern Fleet. Combined with NATO's 3.5% target and Ukraine support, this drives one of the largest defense ramps in the alliance.
Kongsberg's Naval Strike Missile, Joint Strike Missile (for the F-35), and NASAMS air defense system are flagship exports. Nammo produces 155mm ammunition and rocket motors. Together they make Norway a net exporter of high-end munitions despite a small domestic force.