In partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and Royal Norwegian Embassy, on Thursday, February 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the Atlantic Council hosted “Looking North: Conference on Security in the Arctic” at the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence (3401 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007).

This conference convened a range of government officials and security experts to discuss the future of security, defense, and the environment in the Arctic.

Policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly spending time debating Arctic issues—as climate change continues to alter the character of the region, and new actors and new issues in various sectors have emerged. Against this backdrop, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently called for a new age of US strategic engagement in the region, noting that the Arctic will increasingly be an arena for great power competition.

With awareness of the importance of the Arctic increasing, the Atlantic Council, in partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and Royal Norwegian Embassy, launched Looking North: Conference on Security in the Arctic, bringing together expert and official voices to examine the drivers of change in the Arctic and how the United States, Norway, and Allies and partners are approaching security in the region.

This half-day conference featured keynote remarks and two discussion sessions.

Click here for the latest agenda

Featuring Remarks By

H.E. Kåre R. Aas
Ambassador of Norway to the United States
Kingdom of Norway

Frederick Kempe
President and CEO
Atlantic Council

Discussion | Heating Up: Driving Forces Behind Increased Attention on the High North

David Auerswald
Professor of Security Studies, National War College
National Defense University

Sherri W. Goodman
Senior Fellow, Environmental Change and Security Program, Polar Institute
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Thomas Nilsen
Editor
The Independent Barents Observer

Stephanie Pezard
Senior Political Scientist
RAND Corporation

Moderated by

Ali Rogin
Foreign Affairs Producer
PBS NewsHour

Discussion | Evolving Security: Understanding Allied Perspectives on the Arctic

Keith Eikenes
Deputy Director General for Security Policy
Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defense

Michael Emerson
Senior Arctic Policy Advisor
United States Coast Guard

Edward Ferguson
Minister Counsellor Defence
British Embassy

Henrik Bramsen Hahn
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of Denmark to the United States

Martin Loken
Minister for Political Affairs
Embassy of Canada to the United States

Moderated by

H.E. Kåre R. Aas
Ambassador of Norway to the United States
Kingdom of Norway