Fishing village far north in Norway. Skarsvåg, Finnmark, Norway.
At the same time as the Norwegian Armed Forces are being strengthened, even more commuters are expected in the future. Nils Kvilvang would not have accepted the job in Finnmark if he did not get to commute.
The Finnmark Brigade was established in August, and Nils Kvilvang commutes there from his hometown in Hedmark.
“It may sound a bit strange, but in a way we spend more time together on the weekend now than we did before.”
So says Nils Kvilvang.
Early every Monday morning he leaves his wife and home farm outside Rena, in Åmot municipality.
He takes the lunch flight directly to Lakselv and Porsangmoen camp. He is an officer in the newly launched Finnmarksbrigaden—and commutes weekly.
As a planning officer, there is a lot of office time for Nils Kvilvang. He returned to the Armed Forces after 12 years as a civilian.
Kvilvang is one of almost 500 defence employees who have been granted commuter status in the last two years.
A big increase. Because in 2023 there were 1946 commuters weekly in the Armed Forces.
Today there are 2416, according to the Armed Forces Personnel and Conscription Center.
The Armed Forces cannot release figures for counties or departments due to the security situation in Europe.
In December 2024, the Armed Forces had 17,985 employees. At the end of 2022, there were about the same number of employees.
Kvilvang has good reasons for commuting. Even though the children have moved out, he and his wife live and belong in Åmot.
That is why commuting was almost a requirement before he accepted the position. His wife supported his choice.
“And then of course it is a sacrifice too, when I am not present and can help in everyday life. But I feel that it works for us.”
His wife also has a job in her home municipality, which makes it difficult to move.
Many Сommute…
The Kvilvang Brigade is responsible for defending land areas in Finnmark and guarding the border along Russia.
Today, only the municipalities of Porsanger and Sør-Varanger have military bases in the county.
The army wants to make it possible for employees to work in the north, but live in the south. Therefore, a large part of them choose to do so.
“The alternative is probably not being able to recruit well enough. I don’t think the Armed Forces can get away with it in terms of staffing. So we’ll probably have to live with the commute for a while,” says Kvilvang.
Despite the large number of commuters, it is a goal for the Armed Forces that more people live where they work.
How should the Armed Forces recruit people to work and stay in the north?
“Yes, there are several things we are thinking about here. We want to show what career and educational opportunities exist, and other opportunities people have in the north in the Armed Forces,” says Cecilie Heuch, HR Manager in the Armed Forces.
…and there will probably be more
The Armed Forces will be strengthened considerably over the next decade. By 2036, the government is planning to add up to 4,600 more defence personnel.
“We will especially equip the north,” says Cecilie Heuch.
Every third new soldier in the Army will go to Finnmark, according to Colonel May Brith Valen-Odlo, commander of the Tren Regiment in the Army.
She expects around 500 more personnel in the Finnmark Brigade over the next decade.
It is precisely this increase in the non-central areas that is the reason why more people are commuting, according to Heuch.
“So both because we are growing, and because we are growing most in places where there are fewer opportunities for a spouse, partner or family, we are working on several fronts to do something about it,” says Heuch.
The Armed Forces want to facilitate both those who want to commute and those who want to settle down, says HR Manager Cecilie Heuch.
Lars Strøm, the head of communications for the Army, says that it is natural that the number of commuters will increase with the development of the Armed Forces.
There are also major investments in new buildings and facilities at several defence bases. For the Army’s infrastructure alone, it is planned to spend 6.5 billion on development until 2036, according to Valen-Odlo.
“We must work together so that the defence investment contributes to vibrant local communities,” says Heuch.
The Door Is Ajar
It is worth noting that several defence municipalities want more defence employees to live there, instead of commuting.
Porsanger mayor Jo Inge Hesjevik also says that they are missing out on much-needed tax revenue.
“We get a lot of activity, and we like that. But the municipality does not get the money to handle it, because this money goes to the municipality where they have a residential address.”
Porsanger has been in and out of the Robek list for a number of years. Most recently last year, the state had control of the municipal economy.
Nils Kvilvang started commuting to Finnmark in August last year. First he worked in Kirkenes, now he is employed at Porsangmoen camp, outside Lakselv.
Every Friday Nils Kvilvang boards the lunch flight back to Gardermoen, and then gets on the bus taking him home to the farm and his wife.
For the weekly commuter, moving is probably not realistic, but he has the door ajar.
“If we decide to do it, and it works out with a job for the wife, then there is nothing stopping us from moving to Porsanger municipality now.”
Source: NRK (in Norwegian)