General Kristian Laake had commanded Norway's armed forces since 1931. He secured appointment under a Liberal government partly because he supported defence cuts, a position badly matched to the worsening international situation. Admiral Jackie Fisher supplies the comparison: restructuring a force within a fixed budget is different from accepting a decline in war-fighting capacity. Civilian pacifism and military acquiescence reinforced each other, leaving no strong institutional warning against further weakness. Norwegian unreadiness was systemic, rather than the product of one minister or one late mobilization order.
Notable Point · 40:39-44:08
General Laake and the cost of peacetime defence cuts
Norway's senior army leadership shared responsibility for weak readiness because Commander-in-Chief Kristian Laake had supported defence cuts since his 1931 appointment.