NATO's burden sharing debate and Norwegian alliance contributions

This article outlines what has driven and characterized NATO's burden-sharing debate since the inception of the Alliance, and discusses how Norway has contributed to burden-sharing and implications for its reputation as an ally. It is argued that Norway in periods has lagged behind as a relevant contributor to NATO. The main impression, however, is that Norwegian authorities have consistently put much effort into taking on a reasonable part of the burden, which in turn has contributed to building and preserving a good reputation as an ally. Today's burden-sharing debate has clear similarities with the debate during the Cold War, focusing on the collective defence in Europe and increased defense spending, but the situation is quite different. Norway is expected to do more than at present to strengthen defence spending and national defence.