The conscription period in a number of units of the Norwegian Armed Forces will be increased from 12 to 15 months.

The Norwegian defense publication Forsvarets forum reported on this.

The term of conscription in the Norwegian Land Forces varies between 6 and 12 months of service, depending on the unit. However, it can reach up to 18 months, if this regards the service in the air force or the navy.

However, as of August 8, new recruits will be enlisted to the ranks of armored battalions of the Nord brigade according to a new term of service. They will be the first contingent that will serve not 12 but 15 months.

The reason to introduce the extended conscription service is the need to ensure the constant combat readiness of the brigades.

The Nord brigade currently includes three mechanized battalions. One of them, Telemark, is staffed entirely by professional military personnel on contract duty, and the other two incorporate conscripted soldiers.

After enlisting, conscripts must undergo basic training in soldiering skills, and only then receive a military specialty. Such preparation lasts six months.

Therefore, the battalion is ready for combat only six months after the arrival of the soldiers. Each year, these battalions have a kind of “downtime” of about six months. To prevent two battalions from being idle at the same time, one of them is formed in the summer and the other after Christmas.

However, this fluctuation creates a situation where the unit has only two of three combat-ready battalions, which negatively affects the brigade’s potential.

This problem should be solved by the transition to a 15-month conscription service. Also, to compensate for this effect and increase the capabilities of the brigade, it is planned to form a fourth battalion in it.

“With 15 months and three cycles, we will always be able to have two out of three conscription battalions in full readiness. So we will have a situation where they have served in the initial service long enough to work at the brigade level,” says the Nord brigade commander.

Not only conscripts of the “combat” battalions of the brigade will receive extended service. This innovation will also be implemented in some support units that are directly connected to armored and mechanized battalions.