Photo: The Royal Court
Coffee by the fire and new kit: King Haakon at Porsangmoen
The second day of King Haakon’s first journey as king took him to the Finnmark Brigade’s headquarters at Porsangmoen. At the Hálkavárri training range he saw the equipment meant to strengthen the defence of Finnmark, and sat down by the fire with the conscripts.
The second day of King Haakon's first journey around the country as king took him to Porsangmoen, the headquarters of the Finnmark Brigade. There he met soldiers and staff, and saw the equipment intended to strengthen the defence of Finnmark.
The Army's newest brigade
The Finnmark Brigade is the newer of the Army's two standing brigades. A brigade is a military formation of several thousand soldiers, made up of smaller units meant to operate together.
It was established in 2025, as an expansion of what was previously Finnmark Land Defence. It is the first time in history that a brigade has been set up in Finnmark.
At Porsangmoen the King met the new units: the Kristiansten artillery battalion, the Skoganvarre signals company and the anti-aircraft battery, as well as the Porsanger battalion, which has been there longer.
The equipment at Hálkavárri
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, a tracked gun that drives itself, the CV90 mortar vehicle, the portable PIORUN air defence system, fired from the shoulder, drones, and the SISU command post vehicle, from which commanders can run an operation.
Conscripts and staff explained themselves how they use the equipment, both in training and on duty.
"Many skilled people"
The King emphasised the work being done up there.
"Many skilled people in the Armed Forces work thoughtfully to secure our interests and protect those living here," he said.
The visit also meant something to those receiving him. Company commander Kari Kollbotn, who met the King at Jarfjord border station the day before, put it this way: "It is motivating for the soldiers and for us employees. It reminds us how important our work is."
Great distances and arctic weather
The point of Hálkavárri is precisely that it is demanding. The distances are long, the weather changes quickly and the winter is long. The brigade trains in the conditions it would actually have to operate in.
At Porsangmoen the King also met Finnmark Home Guard District 17, was shown round the garrison with Forsvarsbygg, and called in at the Finnmark technical workshop, where the equipment is kept in working order.