Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB
King Haakon slept at the border station and ran with the troops
King Haakon stayed overnight at Jarfjord border station in Sør-Varanger and began the next day with a run alongside the conscripts. His visit to the armed forces in Finnmark lasted two days, from the border with Russia to the Finnmark Brigade’s headquarters at Porsangmoen.
King Haakon has made his first visit to the armed forces in Finnmark as king. The visit lasted two days and took him from the border with Russia in Sør-Varanger to the Finnmark Brigade's headquarters at Porsangmoen.
A night at the border station
The first day began at Jarfjord border station, about twenty kilometres from Kirkenes airport. The King was first given an update on the situation at the border, before the soldiers showed and demonstrated the equipment they use.
He also met the dog handlers. Together with their dogs they help patrol the border to the east.
The King stayed overnight at the border station. Day two began with a run alongside the conscripts, followed by breakfast together. Over breakfast he heard more about daily life at the border and about how the soldiers experience national service in the far north.
Police, border commissioner and battalion commander
Later the King was given several briefings on security in the border area and on how the different agencies work together there.
Chief of Police Trond Eirik Nilsen, Border Commissioner Gøran Stenseth and battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Audun Jørstad each spoke about their own area of responsibility. The border commissioner is the official who makes sure both countries keep to the agreements governing the border with Russia.
The full breadth of the brigade
From Jarfjord the journey continued to Porsanger and the Finnmark Brigade's headquarters at Porsangmoen. At the Hálkavárri firing and training range the equipment was laid out so the King could see the full breadth of what the brigade has at its disposal.
On display were the K9 artillery vehicle, a self-propelled gun on tracks, the CV90 mortar vehicle, the portable PIORUN air defence system, fired from the shoulder, drones and the SISU command post vehicle, which works as a mobile command centre. Conscripts and staff explained how they use the equipment in training and on duty.
The Home Guard and the workshop
At Porsangmoen the King also met Finnmark Home Guard District 17, who described their tasks in the area. There was time for a tour of the garrison with Forsvarsbygg, and a stop at the Finnmark technical workshop, where the armed forces' equipment is kept in working order.
The Finnmark Brigade is the Army's second standing brigade. It was established in 2025 as an expansion of the former Finnmark Land Defence, and is the first brigade in history to be set up in Finnmark.
The visit gave the King the chance to meet both soldiers and civilian staff who work for Norway in an area of great distances and arctic weather.