Lieutenant General Lars Lervik formally took over as chief of the Norwegian Intelligence Service (Etterretningstjenesten) on 24 September 2026. He replaced Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes, who had led the service since 2020.
Lervik had been Chief of the Norwegian Army since 2020. The government appointed him on 7 August and promoted him from major general, as previously covered by NDS.
According to the Norwegian Intelligence Service, it now has significantly more customers and requests. It links this to changes in the global security situation in recent years.
"The world will probably remain turbulent and unstable, so the Intelligence Service's mission will only become more important," Lervik said. He said his first priority is getting to know the organisation and the people who work there.
Lervik has also commanded Brigade Nord. At the Ministry of Defence, he headed the section for national security policy, crisis management and preparedness.
The post is now a fixed six-year term. This follows a legal change for senior military officers that took effect on 1 January 2026.