Sweden and the US Signs Defense Cooperation Agreement, highnorthnews.com

[…] The Swedish-American agreement is largely similar to the Norwegian-American one regarding the US’ extended access to exercise authority and criminal jurisdiction.

On the Norwegian side, this access has been problematized by the Judge Advocate General for the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

”Power can thus be used by any member of the American forces against Norwegian civilians to restore order or protect the force,” Judge Advocate General Sigrid Redse Johansen wrote in a hearing response.

According to both DCAs, American security measures must be ”necessary and proportionate,” but these conditions can be subject to different views.

“In cases where differing approaches to the threat perception or what constitutes proportionate measures are taken to the extreme, Norwegian authorities do not have veto right,” Redse pointed out.

In both agreements, the USA is also given primary jurisdiction in all criminal cases unless Norway or Sweden revokes this in special cases.

Leaving it to the US to pursue serious criminal cases against American soldiers where Norwegian citizens have been offended could run counter to the Norwegian sense of justice, said the Director of Public Prosecutions Jørn Sigurd Maurud. Läs artikel