Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. César Santiago provided the following readout:
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Visits Norway to Deepen Special Operations Integration
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, Christopher Maier, visited Norway to meet with the Director General for Security Policy at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense Henning Vaglum. The two leaders signed a Bilateral Joint Special Operations Study, which details means of closer cooperation between the special operations forces of both countries. This study builds on the already deep and productive partnership between Norway and the United States on special operations, stretching back many decades. They also discussed the security situation in the high north, and the need for increasingly closer cooperation on joint exercises, operations, and training.
The Study is the first step in realizing the goals outlined by U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin and then Norwegian Defense Minister Enoksen in the Bilateral Roadmap for Special Operations Cooperation, signed in November of 2021.
ASD Maier also observed preparations for Norway’s Exercise JOINT VIKING at the northernmost special operations base in the world.