Norway's Ministry of Defense presented a new Long Term Plan for the country's military Friday, a vision that calls for a budget increase of $872 million by 2020 and a nearly $20 billion increase in defense spending over the next two decades. "We are looking to strengthen short-term readiness, to invest in future capabilities and to create real long term sustainability," Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide said in a statement. "We have to ensure that we, along with our allies, have the means to present a credible deterrent against the use of force." Søreide said the increase is due to the fact that "the security situation in Europe has deteriorated." The plan calls for a variety of investments the MOD says will increase the country's intelligence, survivability and strike power. Investments include completing F-35 Lightning II acquisition, purchasing four new submarines to replace the current fleet and replacing Norway's maritime patrol aircraft. The plan also calls for "significant investments" in modern air defense systems. That will entail introducing longer-range weapons to the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System II, known as NASAMS, and the acquisition of dedicated long-range air defense systems, the MOD statement said. The Long Term Plans also for the first time incorporates the cost growth of military equipment beyond standard inflation as a key piece of financial planning. "While every new generation of equipment and technology allows us to do much more than the previous one, that added capability comes at a price," Søreide said. "We can no longer accomodate that trend simply by buying fewer platforms or by internal efficiency savings. We cannot have security without sustainability. This plan aims to provide both." Norway's parliament is expected to consider the plan after the summer recess, the MOD said.