OSLO (Reuters) - Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway’s Arctic neighbor Russia.

Officials played down any link between the operation and NATO concerns over Russia, but the deployment coincides with the U.S. sending several thousand troops to Poland to beef up its Eastern European allies worried about Moscow’s assertiveness.

Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina landed a little after 10 am CET (0900 GMT) at a snow-covered Vaernes airport near Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city, where temperatures were reaching -2 degrees Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit).

U.S. troops are to stay in Norway for a year, with the current batch of Marines being replaced after their six-month tour is complete.

A spokesman for the Norwegian Home Guards, who will host the Marines at the Vaernes military base, about 1,500 km (900 miles) from the Russian border, said the U.S. troops will learn about winter warfare.

“For the first four weeks they will have basic winter training, learn how to cope with skis and to survive in the Arctic environment,” said Rune Haarstad, a Home Guard spokesman. “It has nothing to do with Russia or the current situation.”

In March the Marines will take part in the Joint Viking exercises, which will also include British troops, he added.

The Russian Embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to a request for comment by Reuters on Monday. It questioned the need for such a move when it was announced in October.

“Taking into account multiple statements of Norwegian officials about the absence of threat from Russia to Norway we would like to understand for what purposes is Norway so ... willing to increase its military potential, in particular through stationing of American forces in Vaernes?” it told Reuters at the time.

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A spokeswoman for Norwegian Ministry of Defence also said the arrival of U.S. Marines had nothing to do with concerns about Russia.

However, in a 2014 interview with Reuters, Norway’s Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said Russia’s annexation of Crimea showed that it had the ability and will to use military means to achieve political goals.

(Corrects reference in third paragraph from soldiers to marines)</s>300 US Marines arrived in Trondheim, Norway, on Monday.

That is the first deployment of foreign troops in Norway since the First World War. Norwegian officials were quick to dismiss any connection with Russia and to specify that the US would not set up a base in the country.

The US marines will remain in Norway for a six-month rotational deployment, stationed in Trondheim. Another 300 Marines will then replace them. The deployment takes place the same day as US troops arrived in Poland.

US soldiers will exercise in winter warfare, including ski and survival training in an Arctic environment. They will also participate in a Viking NATO exercise in March, along with British troops.

Until Norway joined NATO in 1949, it assured Russian that no foreign combat troops would be allowed to transit through its territory.</s>OSLO: Some 300 US Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway’s Arctic neighbour Russia.

Officials played down any link between the operation and Nato concerns over Russia, but the deployment coincides with the US sending several thousand troops to Poland to beef up its Eastern European allies worried about Moscow’s assertiveness.

Soldiers from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina landed a little after 10 am CET (0900 GMT) at a snow-covered Vaernes airport near Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city, where temperatures were reaching -2 degrees Celsius. US troops are to stay in Norway for a year, with the current batch of Marines being replaced after their six-month tour is complete.

A spokesman for the Norwegian Home Guards, who will host the Marines at the Vaernes military base, about 1,500 km from the Russian border, said the US troops will learn about winter warfare.

"For the first four weeks they will have basic winter training, learn how to cope with skis and to survive in the Arctic environment," said Rune Haarstad, a Home Guard spokesman. "It has nothing to do with Russia or the current situation."

In March the Marines will take part in the Joint Viking exercises, which will also include British troops, he added.

The Russian Embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to a request for comment by Reuters on Monday.

It questioned the need for such a move when it was announced in October.

"Taking into account multiple statements of Norwegian officials about the absence of threat from Russia to Norway we would like to understand for what purposes is Norway so ... willing to increase its military potential, in particular through stationing of American forces in Vaernes?" it told Reuters at the time. A spokeswoman for Norwegian Ministry of Defence also said the arrival of US Marines had nothing to do with concerns about Russia.

However, in a 2014 interview with Reuters, Norway’s Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said Russia’s annexation of Crimea showed that it had the ability and will to use military means to achieve political goals.

US Marines land in Norway, irking Russia was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 17, 2017 and was last updated on January 17, 2017. This news story is related to Print/179735-US-Marines-land-in-Norway-irking-Russia/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "US Marines land in Norway, irking Russia" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/179735-US-Marines-land-in-Norway-irking-Russia.</s>The deployment of 330 U.S. Marines recalled a Cold War era in which Russian intrigue grabbed headlines and Norwegians lived in fear of Soviet hegemony.

For Norwegians, the sight of dozens of U.S. Marines traipsing through the snow in military fatigues — the first time foreign troops have been posted to their country’s territory since World War II — may have brought a welcomed sense of security, but it also harked back to a dark era of the Cold War that many had hoped to forget.

A U.S. military plane Monday delivered most of the 330 Marines to a garrison in Vaernes, in central Norway, a deployment that Norwegian officials said had been carried out by the United States as part of a bilateral agreement. It was the latest effort by the United States and its allies to buttress their defenses against a resurgent Russia, which condemned the move.

Despite being generally welcomed across the political spectrum, the arrival of the Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., also provoked some worries in Norway.

A wealthy oil-rich country that is a member of NATO but not the European Union, the Nordic state has long prided itself on its independence. But the deployment recalled a Cold War era in which Russian intrigue grabbed headlines and Norwegians lived in fear of Soviet hegemony.

Neuroses about Russia continue to exert influence in Norwegian popular culture. The political television thriller “Okkupert” depicts a future in which Norway is occupied by Russia, and with the backing of the EU, takes over the country’s oil production.

Such fears have been magnified in recent years with murky sightings of submarines across the region that have stoked concern about Russian espionage and military intervention.

Last spring, several residents of Sunnfjord in the country’s west reported to Norwegian authorities that they had seen a submarine with its periscope up. But officials were not convinced that the object was, in fact, a submarine.

In October 2014, an unidentified vessel spotted off the Stockholm archipelago spurred Sweden’s largest mobilization since the Cold War and accusations that Russia was spying on the country. The episode, called “The Hunt for Reds in October” in the Swedish news media, included unsubstantiated reports of a man in black spotted wading near the vessel. It deeply unsettled the nation, even as the Kremlin issued strenuous denials and accused Stockholm of scaremongering.

Then, in April 2015, the appearance of an underwater vessel in Finland, which shares a border with Russia, prompted the navy to fire depth charges — the first such warning in more than 10 years.

In Moscow, the deployment of U.S. Marines has been met with disdain.

After plans for the deployment were confirmed in October, Frants Klintsevich, a deputy chairman of Russia’s defense and security committee in the upper chamber of Parliament, was quoted by Russian news media as saying that the Kremlin viewed the Marines as a direct military threat. He also said the deployment made Norway a potential target for Moscow’s powerful arsenal, which includes nuclear weapons.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told NRK, the Norwegian public broadcaster, that the move “certainly will not improve relations.”

“The relationship between Norway and Russia is put to a test now,” she said. “Instead of developing economic cooperation, Norway is choosing to deploy United States troops on Norwegian soil.”

The deployment of the Marines, who will be stationed hundreds of miles from the border with Russia, comes as countries across Europe have been reinforcing their defenses out of concern over an increasingly assertive Russia, which has been flexing its muscle from Syria to Ukraine.

Last week, a convoy from a U.S. armored brigade crossed the German border into Poland, the first installment of what are expected to be several thousand NATO troops to be based across Eastern Europe. And in Estonia, thousands of volunteers have been taking part in military training exercises and war games amid concern over Russian aggression.

Relations between the West and Russia have been tense since the annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and the outbreak of conflict between government forces and pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine.

At the same time, President-elect Donald Trump fanned alarm in Europe in the months leading to his election victory when he questioned whether the United States should automatically defend NATO allies if they were attacked, and predicated U.S. support on the willingness of countries in the alliance to pay their fair share for military protection.

In Norway, some lamented that the Marines’ arrival stood against the country’s traditions and threatened to make it a target of its much larger neighbor.

Morten Harper, a leftist member of the local assembly that governs the area housing the military base, said the Marines’ arrival was ensnaring Norway into the United States’ “power struggle” with Russia.

“We see an ever more tense foreign-policy situation,” he said. “If there ever was to be a major conflict between the great powers in the future, this makes us a more likely bomb target.”

After World War II, Norway abandoned its neutral stance by joining NATO in 1949 and committing to the alliance’s doctrine of collective defense. But the country, which shares a 121-mile northern border with Russia, sought to placate Moscow by pledging that no foreign troops would be allowed to be permanently stationed on its soil.

Norway’s defense minister, Ine Eriksen Soreide, said Sunday that Russia had no reason to be alarmed by the Marines’ presence. She said the deployment did not flout the boots-on-the-ground restriction because the Marines were there on a six-month trial period that was open-ended.

The Marines will take part in military exercises, involving skiing and surviving in Arctic temperatures, to hone their abilities to fight in tough winter conditions. It is part of a bilateral agreement between Oslo and Washington, but Norwegian officials said that, in the case of a conflict, the troops probably would fall under NATO’s command.

Hedda Langemyr of the Norwegian Peace Council, a group made up of several nongovernmental organizations, said the deployment threatened to aggravate tension between Norway and Russia while breaching Norway’s tradition of not allowing permanent foreign troops on its soil.

“It might give the hawks in Moscow arguments for a continued arms race,” she said.</s>Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway's Arctic neighbor Russia.

Officials played down any link between the operation and NATO concerns over Russia, but the deployment coincides with the U.S. sending several thousand troops to Poland to beef up its Eastern European allies worried about Moscow's assertiveness.

Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina landed a little after 10 am CET (0900 GMT) at a snow-covered Vaernes airport near Trondheim, Norway's third-largest city, where temperatures were reaching -2 degrees Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit).

U.S. troops are to stay in Norway for a year, with the current batch of Marines being replaced after their six-month tour is complete.

A spokesman for the Norwegian Home Guards, who will host the Marines at the Vaernes military base, about 1,500 km (900 miles) from the Russian border, said the U.S. troops will learn about winter warfare.

"For the first four weeks they will have basic winter training, learn how to cope with skis and to survive in the Arctic environment," said Rune Haarstad, a Home Guard spokesman. "It has nothing to do with Russia or the current situation."</s>Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War II that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there.

Officials played down any link between the operation and NATO concerns over Russia.

However, the deployment coincided with the U.S. sending several thousand troops to Poland to beef up its Eastern European allies worried about Moscow’s assertiveness.

Soldiers from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina landed a little after 10 a.m. CET at a snow-covered Vaernes airport near Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city, where temperatures were reaching -2 degrees Celsius.

Report says U.S. troops are to stay in Norway for a year, with the current batch of Marines being replaced after their six-month tour is complete.

A spokesman for the Norwegian Home Guards, who will host the Marines at the Vaernes military base, about 1,500 km from the Russian border, said the U.S. troops will learn about winter warfare.

“For the first four weeks they will have basic winter training, learn how to cope with skis and to survive in the Arctic environment.

“It has nothing to do with Russia or the current situation.

“In March the Marines will take part in the Joint Viking exercises, which will also include British troops,’’ he added.

The Russian Embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

It questioned the need for such a move when it was announced in October.

A spokeswoman for Norwegian Ministry of Defence also said the arrival of U.S. Marines had nothing to do with concerns about Russia.

However, in a 2014 interview with Reuters, Norway’s Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said Russia’s annexation of Crimea showed that it had the ability and will to use military means to achieve political goals.</s>Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway's Arctic neighbour Russia. Officials played down any link between the operation and NATO concerns over Russia, but the deployment coincides with the U.S. sending several thousand troops to Poland to beef up its Eastern European allies worried about Moscow's assertiveness.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Star Online.</s>Some 300 US Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, have landed in Norway for a six-month deployment.

This is the first time since World War II that foreign troops have been allowed to station in Norway.

As tensions grow with Russia, the deployment signals a departure from the NATO member’s decades-old policy of not hosting foreign troops on its soil.

Shortly after the Obama administration began deploying American troops across Russia’s border in a number of countries, including Lithuania, some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway for a six-month deployment. Their Monday deployment marks the first time since World War II that foreign troops have been allowed to station in Norway.

The Marines will spend a year in total in Norwegian territory, and the current deployment will be replaced after their six-month service is completed.

Unsurprisingly, it’s doubtful Russia will view this move favorably. When questioned about the proposal to station U.S. troops in Norway in October last year, Russia questioned the motives behind such a move. As the Russian embassy in Oslo told Reuters:

“Taking into account multiple statements of Norwegian officials about the absence of threat from Russia to Norway we would like to understand for what purposes is Norway so … willing to increase its military potential, in particular through stationing of American forces in Vaernes?”

A spokeswoman for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense said the arrival of U.S. troops had nothing to do with concerns about Russia.

Clearly, that is not the case. In 2014, Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Reuters that Russia’s actions in Ukraine raised questions about NATO’s collective defense, stating, “[W]e are in a completely new security situation where Russia shows both the ability and the will to use military means to achieve political goals.”

Norway is Europe’s number two gas exporter after Russia and is a founding member of NATO. Despite this, relations between Norway and Russia have historically been good. In fact, the two countries were on track at the end of last year to strengthen ties even further after Norway and Finland revived economic and trade contacts with Russian ministers for the first time since the annexation of Crimea.

It is not in Washington’s interest to have a Europe that cooperates with Russia. Following the mainstream media’s dishonest hysteria over Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential elections, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed more Americans now view Russia as a threat.

This fear-based mentality is exactly what the U.S. establishment wants as it allows the U.S. to encircle Russia with troops, tanks, and missiles while it keeps the military-industrial complex rolling.

Why would this be?

In a few days, Donald J. Trump will take the top seat at the White House. His unpredictability and admiration and respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin, coupled with his intentions to normalize relations with Russia, might mean the United States will lose a valuable scapegoat and enemy in global affairs. It could also mean the U.S. will have to accept defeat in Syria.

By deploying troops to Russia’s borders, including to countries Russia is set to renew relations with, the Obama administration is locking the incoming Trump administration into an anti-Russia policy he may not be able to back out of without perceivably abandoning America’s NATO allies in the region.</s>Three hundred U.S. Marines arrived in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment angering their Arctic neighbour Russia.

This is the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there.

Before Norway joined NATO in 1949, it allayed Russian fears by pledging not to open its territory to foreign combat troops “as long as it is not under attack or threat of attack.”

The deployment comes just one week after thousands of US troops arrived in Poland to “support NATO’s Anti-Russian buildup” across Eastern Europe.

The US has had large quantities of military materiel pre-positioned in tunnels dug into Norway’s mountains, but until now, there were no troops.

The agreement for stationing the American troops will last for at least a year. The contingent that has come this week will be rotated in six months. The Marines will be hosted at the Vaernes base of the Norwegian Home Guards near Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city.

The stated goal of the mission is to train the US troops in Arctic warfare.

“For the first four weeks they will have basic winter training, learn how to cope with skis and to survive in the Arctic environment,” said Rune Haarstad, a Home Guard spokesman, as cited by Reuters. “It has nothing to do with Russia or the current situation.”

In March, the Marines will take part in the Joint Viking exercises, which will also include British troops, he added.

Both Norway and the US deny the notion that the deployment is meant to irk Russia as part of NATO’s wider campaign to oppose what it calls “Russian aggression” in Europe, by sending additional troops and weapons closer to the Russian border.

A founding member of the alliance, Norway pledged not to host foreign forces to allay Moscow’s concerns that it could serve as a platform for a surprise attack. For decades the Scandinavian country stashed massive stockpiles of weapons in preparation for a possible conflict, but only allowed in other allies’ troops for training purposes.

Oslo dismisses the notion that the deployment goes against the old commitment, saying that American troops would be rotated rather than stationed permanently. NATO routinely applies the same reasoning to all its deployments in Eastern Europe as a way to circumvent the alliance’s agreement with Russia, which bans permanent deployments of “significant” forces near Russia.

The US Marine Corps touted the practical benefits of a full-time deployment as the reason for the move.

“We’ve been going to Norway for 25 years. So I don’t really know what the hype is about,” Maj. Gen. Niel Nelson, commander of Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, told Military.com ahead of the deployment. “We’re just doing our job, from a more economical standpoint. I don’t put a lot of stock in people pointing back and forth.”

“By putting Marines in Norway and above the Arctic Circle for 30-60 days at a time, that’s a whole different environment,” Nelson added. “You not only learn to survive, you are surviving. It’s a harsh environment; it takes a lot of tough lessons and we reinforce that by the length of time.”

When the rotational deployment of US Marines in Norway was confirmed last year, Russia said it was puzzled by it.

“Taking into account multiple statements of Norwegian officials about the absence of threat from Russia to Norway, we would like to understand for what purposes is Norway so willing to increase its military potential, in particular through the stationing of American forces in Vaernes?” the Russian embassy said at the time.

Norway and Russia share a small land border far in the north. The Vaernes base is located 1,500km from any part of Russia, but the Arctic training program involves traveling closer to it.</s>Oslo — About 300 US Marines arrived in Norway on Monday for a rotational deployment in the Scandinavian country, to neighbouring Russia’s dismay amid rising tensions with the West.

After leaving North Carolina aboard a chartered 747 on Sunday evening, the troops landed with their luggage and weapons at the trump airport near the central town of Trondheim, television footage showed. It is the first time since the Second World War that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there.

The deployment coincides with the US sending several thousand troops to Poland.
Three hundred U.S. marines arrive in Norway for a six-month deployment, becoming the first foreign troops in Norway since World War II. The marines will be stationed at Værnes Air Station in Stjørdal.