Please join the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, in partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and Royal Norwegian Embassy, for an in-person conference, “Looking North: Conference on security in the Arctic” on Thursday, March 2 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT at the Royal Norwegian Embassy (2720 34th St NW, Washington, DC 20008).  

The High North is undergoing an unprecedented period of transformation. Strategic insecurity spillover from Russia’s war against Ukraine, Chinese Arctic aspirations both in cooperation with Russia and individually, and the applications of two Arctic nations – Finland and Sweden – to join NATO will impact the region’s security. Moreover, a changing climate is impacting civil and military activity in the region, making cooperation even more important. How are these gamechangers affecting the Arctic region’s geopolitical context? What actions and strategies must High North and transatlantic stakeholders pursue to ensure lasting stability for the region? How can the NATO alliance elevate its role and contribution?

To advance discussion on these and other Arctic security issues, please join the Atlantic Council, in partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and Royal Norwegian Embassy, for their annual in-person conference – Looking North. This event will bring together government officials and experts voices to assess drivers of change in the Arctic and how the United States, Norway, and its allies and partners can collectively approach security in the region.  

This event is open to the public and will be held in-person at the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The conference will not be livestreamed.  Registration is required, and all guests will need to bring a photo ID for check-in.

Agenda

All times in eastern daylight time.

Doors open

1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.

H.E. Anniken Ramberg Krutnes, Ambassador of Norway to the United States

Matthew Kroenig, Senior Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Welcome remarks
Fireside chat | Defense and deterrence in the High North

2:10 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.

Ine Eriksen Søreide, Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, Stortinget; Former Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense 

Melissa Dalton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, United States Department of Defense

Moderator:
Felicia Schwartz, US foreign affairs and defense correspondent, Financial Times

2:55 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.

Conference break
Panel | Gamechangers in the High North

3:05 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Discussion: The High North is in an unprecedented period of transformation. Strategic insecurity spillover from Russia’s war against Ukraine, Chinese Arctic aspirations both in cooperation with Russia and individually, and the applications of two Arctic nations to join NATO stand to shake up the region’s security status quo. Moreover, a changing climate is impacting civil and military activity in the region such that cooperation among nations with potentially competing interests is likely to become more challenging. How are these gamechangers affecting the Arctic region’s geopolitical context? What actions and strategies must High North stakeholders pursue to ensure lasting stability for the region? How can the NATO alliance elevate its role and contributions? 

Åsmund Aukrust, First Vice Chair in the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Stortinget

Douglas Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, US Department of State

Stephanie Pezard, Senior Political Scientist and Associate Research Department Director for Defense and Political Sciences (DPS), RAND

Dave Auerswald, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Atlantic Council, Professor of Security Studies, National War College

Moderated by:
Marisol Maddox, Senior Arctic Analyst, The Polar Institute, Wilson Center

4:00 p.m.

Conference close

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

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