Mr. Chairman, I'm going to give a short answer. I know the time is running out.
Let me start with NATO. Yes, of course, it's a problem that nearly all European countries are cutting their defence budgets. That's a problem. Norway is one of the few who are able to increase the budget. On the other hand, this has happened before. This is not a new situation that some countries are reducing their efforts in the defence sector.
For me, the answer is easy: we have to cooperate even more. Bilaterally, we need to bring Canada more to Norway, and Norway wants to come closer to Canada. We need to cooperate even closer than European countries. Also, the United States is cutting its budget. The answer is not that we should leave NATO, forget NATO. No; it's more NATO. The lower the budget, the more NATO. That's in a way the main answer to that question.
Finally, I want to be very clear on the F-35s. Norway needs F-35s, and in my opinion--I shouldn't advise your government and you as politicians--I think you also need F-35s. But the country in the world that most of all needs F-35s is not Norway or Canada; it's the United States of America. What you see is its plan to switch from six, seven, eight different fighters to one fighter. That would give a lower long-term cost to their defence sector. But first of all, analyze the United States and its security policy in the future: Canada is no problem; Europe isn't the problem; not Russia; but the Pacific. The Pacific and Asia are in American mindsets; that is the biggest security risk.
Without a capacity like this, the United States will not feel safe for the future. So I don't think it's American banks or super committees. I think the Pentagon and the presidents, whether Democrat or Republican, will force this decision through all places, and the United States for sure is going to procure F-35s.
So the question is not if; the question is how many. And that affects Norway. Therefore, we have very close relations with them, and we want that transparency and to see what the United States is going to do in the next year.