Hovedbasen

Hovedbasen is a Norwegian term meaning the principal base of a country's armed forces, typically serving as the central hub for operations, administration, and logistics. The word combines hoved ("main" or "chief") and basen ("base" or "base of operations"). In military usage, it denotes the central home port or main installation from which forces are commanded and supplied, and to which units rotate for maintenance, training, and rest.

The concept can apply to naval, air, or combined military installations. A hovedbase may include shipyards, airfields, barracks, supply depots, medical facilities, and a command center. Its location is often strategic, offering protection, access to seaways, air routes, or land routes, and sometimes proximity to civilian infrastructure.

In Norway, the Royal Norwegian Navy operates its main base at Haakonsvern outside Bergen, which serves as the principal home port for most naval units and support services. Other countries use equivalent terms (for example, "home base" or "main base") to describe their central military installations; the exact designation and command structure vary by nation.

Other related concepts include home port, main operating base, and forward base. The term is primarily used in formal or technical contexts and may appear in military planning documents, historical accounts, or strategic writings.