Civil-military distrust drained urgency from defence debates

Some Norwegians distrusted armed forces whose strict culture seemed different from the national culture they valued. In a poorly paid volunteer-reservist system, strong patriotism was a likely reason to serve, which could make those forces unrepresentative of the wider public. Working with that motivated group and evaluating defence consistently offered a way to address the cultural distance. Norwegian defence debates were informed and hotly contested, yet repeatedly failed to reach conclusions. Debate proceeded as though Norway would remain outside a war and there were unlimited time to decide. People capable of assessing the danger existed, but the political class did not turn that understanding into a consistent national response.