As tensions with Russia escalate, Norway is reviving two Cold War-era military bunkers, BBC reported. The Bardufoss Air Station and Olavsvern naval base, once key defence sites against Soviet threats, are being reactivated to bolster military preparedness. At the Cold War’s peak, Norway built around 3,000 underground facilities, many later decommissioned. Now, with Russia’s growing military activity in the Arctic and its invasion of Ukraine, Norway is prioritising these fortified structures. Strategic importance of Bardufoss and Olavsvern Bardufoss Air Station, north of the Arctic Circle, housed fighter jets in mountain hangars, shielding them from potential Soviet airstrikes. Opened in 1938, the base has undergone upgrades to enhance the survivability of Norway’s F-35 jets, particularly against drone threats seen in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Olavsvern naval base, built into a mountainside and protected by 275 meters of rock, served as a NATO outpost during the Cold War. Its underground dock and command center made it a strategic site for monitoring Russian naval activity. After being decommissioned and controversially sold to private investors in 2013, the base was repurchased by WilNor Governmental Services in 2020. The US Navy has since expressed interest in using it for nuclear submarines. Growing military presence in the Arctic Norway’s move reflects broader security concerns, as per BBC. Andreas Østhagen, a senior research fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, noted that Russia’s military buildup has been monitored since the mid-2000s. “Putin’s Russia is not the Soviet Union,” he said, but the concern remains, "how do you deter Russia and, if you end up in a war, how do you fight Russia?" Russia has reactivated around 50 Cold War-era installations in the Arctic. Sweden has reopened its Muskö Island naval base, while China and Iran are constructing new underground military facilities. Despite their strategic value, experts warn that restoring and securing these bunkers is costly. Some, like Olavsvern, may have been compromised after years of private ownership. (With inputs from BBC)
