학술논문

Military Muscle-Flexing as Interstate Communication: Russian NOTAM Warnings off the Coast of Norway, 2015-2021
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies. June 14, 2022, Vol. 5 Issue 1, p63, 16 p.
Subject
Norwegian Sea
Arctic Ocean
Norway
Western Europe
Svalbard
Russia
Language
English
ISSN
2596-3856
Abstract
When, where, and why does Russia issue warnings about missile launches and other potentially dangerous military activities in international waters and airspace west and north of Norway? Drawing on information derived from a series of Russian 'Notices to Airmen' (NOTAMs), this article examines the pattern of Russia's live-fire air and naval exercises in and over the Norwegian and Barents Seas between January 2015 and December 2021. It discusses factors that may explain the extent and nature of Russia's military muscle-flexing in the region. The study suggests that a number of the Russian exercises and missile launches, particularly in areas adjacent to Norway's west coast, were primarily meant to obstruct Norwegian/NATO exercises such as the Trident Juncture exercise of 2018. On a number of occasions, Russia's NOTAM warnings appear to have been tailored for the purpose of intimidating Norway and its allies and communicating Russia's displeasure with the occasional presence of United States and other NATO forces on or outside Norway's territory. Keywords: Russia, Norway, High North, Signaling, Exercises, Naval Diplomacy
Author(s): Kristian Åtland (corresponding author) [1]; Thomas Nilsen [2]; Torbjørn Pedersen [3] Introduction The maritime spaces on NATO's northern flank, off the coast of western and northern Norway and south [...]