Summary:

The authors describe how the Norwegian Coast Guard is a vital instrument for the political and military leadership in conflict management and the maintenance of good order at sea and low tension in the European High North. The chapter draws attention to challenges and possible conflict scenarios, the use of force and protection of legal activities. This is illustrated through several cases and situations faced by the Norwegian Coast Guard. Special attention is given to the Norwegian—Russian cooperation on the preservation and administration of the fishery resources in the Barents Sea; a success story even during the Cold War when the Soviet Union was the primary adversary for Norway and NATO, and a cooperation mechanism which is still in place today.
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In this chapter we present the Norwegian Coast Guard model and describe its structure, organization, command relationship, and decision making process, and present the advantage to Norway of having the Coast Guard as an integrated part of the Navy. We examine the main tasks of the Norwegian Coast Guard, being enforcement of fishery regulations and management of fisheries. To visualize the challenges and possible conflict scenarios where the Coast Guard may be an instrument in conflict management, several real incidents are described, analyzed and lessons identified. The importance of having common international rules, and being able to act in a manner that is firm, consistent, recognizable, and perceived as fair, are underlined. In this chapter we emphasize the importance of international cooperation and describe the special relationship between Russia and Norway in fishery protection, and how important such cooperation is for successful conflict management. At the end we address future challenges, including issues related to the Arctic region.