Please join the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, 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 Monday, April 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT at the Royal Norwegian Embassy (2720 34th St NW, Washington, DC 20008).

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine forcing allies and partners to rethink their assumptions about transatlantic security, understanding the risks of horizontal escalation is essential, particularly in the long-stable and strategically important Arctic. Geopolitical developments, military activity, and climate change have raised speculation about the Arctic’s next chapter. Now, in the wake of Russia’s clear assault on the rules-based order, how should we reimagine security in the High North? What must be done to prevent spillover conflict in the Arctic? What are the implications of the crisis for security and stability in the region?

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 our 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. Further details on the agenda are forthcoming.

Space is limited at this in-person event held at the Royal Norwegian Embassy. Registration for this conference has now closed.

The conference will not be livestreamed.

Preliminary agenda

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
(Eastern Daylight Time)

Opening remarks and discussion

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

Matthew Kroenig
Deputy Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Discussion | Reimagining the High North in 2032
What will the Arctic look like in ten years’ time, and how will climate change have an increasing impact? Looking ahead, what scenarios can we expect for the future of Arctic security? How will the shifting strategic environment and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine redefine activity in the region.

Sharon Burke
President
Ecospherics

Edward Ferguson
Minister Counsellor for Defense
British Embassy to the United States

Ulf Sverdrup
Director
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Abbie Tingstad
Senior Physical Scientist
RAND Corporation

Moderator: Ian Brzezinski
Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Fireside chat | Allied defense and deterrence in the High North

The Hon. Melissa Dalton
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs
US Department of Defense

Torleiv Opland
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of Norway to the United States

Moderator: Ali Rogin
Foreign Affairs Producer
PBS NewsHour

10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.
(Eastern Daylight Time)
10:40 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
(Eastern Daylight Time)

Discussion | Preventing spillover conflict in the High North

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, how will conflicts in one theater affect the Arctic? How can allies work together to prevent strategic spillover from reaching the Arctic?

David Auerswald
Professor of National Security Strategy
US National War College

Sherri Goodman
Board Director
Atlantic Council;
Senior Fellow, Polar Institute
Woodrow Wilson International Center

Rolf Tamnes
Professor Emeritus
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Moderator: Ian Brzezinski
Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Lunch reception

Light lunch to be provided at the Embassy

11:30 a.m.
(Eastern Daylight Time)

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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