A Cold War-era underground military base may return to service

The Norwegian Armed Forces seem to be interested in using the former tunnels, barracks and warehouses on the island of Andoeya, which fell into private hands as surplus 10 years ago, “Aftenposten” reported on Tuesday. The Americans are also considering renting the renovated base.

Norwegian entrepreneur Terje Tinholt was to spend 0.5 million kroner (approx. PLN 180,000) on the purchase of the former Skarsteindalen base in 2022. His property included barracks buildings, logistics facilities and a hall carved in rock the size of two football fields.

The construction of the Skarsteindalen resort located above the Arctic Circle began in the late 1950s. In fact its construction cost the equivalent of today's 11 billion crowns (approx. PLN 4 billion). It was a base for the Norwegian Armed Forces during the Cold War. The rooms, located several dozen meters under the slopes of the mountain, were intended to withstand a nuclear attack. After the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the army no longer needed a unit on Andoeyi. When the local authorities did not agree to accommodate 200 asylum-seeking migrants there, the facilities went up for sale.

In recent years, there have been several cases in Norway in which companies linked to Moscow and Beijing took over facilities that were demobilized, but still important for Norway's defense. Part of the base on Andoeyi was bought by Lithuanians, but their business went bankrupt and the court decided to force the sale of the property.

“I bought Skarsteindalen so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the Russians or the Chinese,” Tinholt told the Norwegian daily.

In the vicinity there is a Norwegian space flight center, which is intended to complement the capabilities of American spaceports. Tinholt rebuilt the base so that it could become a base for military drones and an AI center resistant to external attacks.

The Pentagon reportedly accepted the proposal to rent the facility with interest. The Norwegian military also did not reject the idea of ​​reusing the former base. In response to a question from “Aftenposten” about plans for Skarsteindalen, the Forsvarsbygg agency that manages military property said that the Norwegian Armed Forces in northern Norway “will need new properties.”

From Oslo Mieszko Czarnecki (PAP)

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