The US government decided to deploy tanks and equipment to classified Cold War-era caves in Central Norway

The US government decided to deploy tanks and equipment to classified Cold War-era caves in Central Norway

By NEOnline/GK

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More US tanks and other military equipment are being transported inside classified Cold War –era caves in Norway, CNN reported.
“Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crisis, so we’re able to fall in on gear that is ready-to-go and respond to whatever that crisis may be,” Col. William Bentley, operations officer for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, said in a statement Friday. The US official stressed that the caves are classified.
Norway shares a 196 km long border with Russia and according to CNN, the border line used to be heavily militarized during the Cold War. However, after the end of the Cold War, the US wanted to shut down the caves to lower costs but the Norwegian government decided to carry the financial burden and keep the human made caves operational.
Magnus Nordenman, director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council told CNN that the caves are staffed with around 100 troops, and they contain enough equipment to support 15,000 Marines. In the coming weeks, the caves will be used in the military NATO drill named “Cold Response 2016.”
Five days ago, the Norwegian Home Guard and the US Marines moved battle tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, artillery, and equipment for the NATO military drill.
According to the website Military.com the equipment from the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway, (which includes M1A1 main battle tanks, light armored vehicles, amphibious assault vehicles, and other combat vehicles) were drawn from the Cold War –era caves which are throughout central Norway and then loaded onto railcars.