Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre visited the United States in September 2025 and toured one of the U.S. Navy’s submarine epicenters.
Gahr Støre, who was in New York to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, traveled to Groton, Connecticut, to tour Naval Submarine Base New London (NSB-NLON). Groton, called the “Submarine Capital of the World,” is home to General Dynamics Electric Boat, the primary submarine manufacturer for the Navy, as well as NSB-NLON. The base on the Thames River trains almost all U.S. submariners.
The home of Russia’s Northern Fleet, which includes nuclear-armed submarines, is near the Norwegian border. Gahr Støre said on social media that he was accompanied by Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway’s ambassador to the U.S., and Rear Adm. Oliver Berdal, chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy, according to the Stamford Advocate newspaper.
Norway is in a key strategic location for NATO in both the North Atlantic and Arctic on the Alliance’s northern flank.
The prime minister emphasized the importance of military collaboration between Oslo and Washington during his visit.
“The U.S. is Norway’s most important Ally, and there is close and wide-ranging defense cooperation between our two countries,” Gahr Støre said, according to the Advocate. “This cooperation is essential for Norway’s defense and for the security and defense of the U.S.”
U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, commander of Naval Submarine Forces, hosted Gahr Støre during his visit to NSB-NLON, which included a tour of the nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Virginia.
“You have been great partners in the High North,” Gaucher told Gahr Støre of the decades-long relationship between the two founding members of NATO. “I’ve personally had the opportunity to visit Norway many times. You’ve always been … a great partner in Arctic operations,” Gaucher said, according to a U.S. Navy news release.
Gahr Støre visited the base to gain a greater understanding of the role of submarine operations in both U.S. and NATO defense, according to the news release. Norway’s Navy has a fleet of six submarines.
“It is vital for our collective security that we have a common understanding of the challenges in our neighboring areas,” Gahr Støre said, according to a Norwegian government news release.
Norwegian ports support U.S. submarines that strengthen NATO’s undersea operations, according to the Navy news release. The maritime cooperation with Norway also enhances interoperability, logistics and the sustainment of forward-deployed submarine forces.
“U.S. presence in the High North and Arctic region contributes to deterrence,” Gahr Støre said, according to the Norwegian government news release. “This is part of our homeland security, and part of U.S. homeland security, because we are working together to maintain security for our countries. The stability of our regions, through this military cooperation, is strongly built on trust and mutual learning.”