Northern Norway gets its own cluster for the defense and security industry
The High North Defence Industry Cluster (HNDIC) has been formally established in Evenes municipality.
HNDIC was established and registered on February 21st, 2026 (org. number 937 223 811). HNDIC will be Northern Norway's new, unifying organization for the defense and security industry in the high north.
The initiative to establish HNDIC was taken by retired Major General Arne Einar Dahlberg, in collaboration with business representatives Aleksander Viksund and Jann K. Lindberg, who are both the main owners and developers of Evenes Industrial Seaport, a major port and mountain facility for defense purposes in Evenes municipality.
Despite a historically high offset obligation in Norway of NOK 12.8 billion in 2024, Northern Norway has received less than 0.2 percent of these values, and Finnmark has not seen any registered buybacks. This skewed buyback distribution compared to other parts of the country has persisted in every year that buybacks have taken place. HNDIC will help change this by highlighting coordinated increased industrial capacity, better collaboration and faster implementation.
HNDIC is a non-commercial, strategic industrial cluster that will bring together defense and security companies in Northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as selected larger defense companies from the rest of Norway and internationally. HNDIC has already established dialogue with foreign defense equipment producers that have significant offset obligation to Norway.
HNDIC is a member organization that will be led and financed by its members, and its main purpose is to highlight the members' combined industrial capacity in relation to defense projects with scopes exceeding the capacity of individual members.
The cluster will prioritize pace, decision-making and implementation ability in order to meet the rapid technological development in areas such as artificial intelligence, defense, security, logistics and industry. At the same time, HNDIC will position the region as a central industrial and logistical powerhouse for NATO and allies in the North.
HNDIC will function as a unifying voice for the region's industry towards authorities, NATO, the EU and international partners, and will soon open membership for municipalities, counties, organizations and companies.
