Norway delegates King's authority over defence college to Defence Ministry

The Norwegian government has delegated the King’s authority to amend the exemption regulation for the Forsvarets høgskole (Norwegian Defence University College) to the Forsvarsdepartementet (Ministry of Defence), with immediate effect. The decision was adopted by royal resolution on 21 August 2026 and published in Norsk Lovtidend as document 21.08.2026 nr. 1652.

The delegation concerns the power granted to the King under section 1-2, third paragraph, letter a of the universitets- og høyskoleloven (Universities and Higher Education Act) of 8 March 2024 no. 9, which allows the King to issue regulations on exemptions from and adaptations to the Act for the Defence University College.

Legal basis and issuing body

The royal resolution was issued on the authority of the Universities and Higher Education Act and was presented by the Kunnskapsdepartementet (Ministry of Education and Research). The delegation transfers to the Ministry of Defence the competence to amend the regulation on exemptions from and adaptations to the Act specifically for the Defence University College.

• Issuing body: royal resolution (kgl.res.) of 21 August 2026
• Legal basis: universitets- og høyskoleloven § 1-2, third paragraph, letter (a)
• Presented by: Kunnskapsdepartementet
• Recipient: Forsvarsdepartementet

Scope of the delegated authority

The delegated power is limited to amending the exemption regulation for the Forsvarets høgskole under the Universities and Higher Education Act. This means the Ministry of Defence may now adjust the rules that tailor the general higher-education framework to the specific needs of defence education.

Entry into force

The delegation takes effect immediately, as stated in the second article of the decision. No transitional period is provided, so the Ministry of Defence can exercise the delegated authority from the date of publication.

Why it matters

The decision streamlines the governance of defence higher education by placing the regulatory authority for the Defence University College directly with the ministry responsible for defence. This allows the exemption framework to be adapted more quickly to the operational and educational requirements of the armed forces, without requiring a separate royal resolution for each amendment.

Source: Norsk Lovtidend, Avd. I, 21.08.2026 nr. 1652 (official reference: LTI-2026-08-21-1652).