Defense Orientation Conference Association High North II/NATO II BRIEFING ROOM

Conference: High North II/NATO II Since the beginning of the 2018 program year, the Defense Orientation Conference Association has periodically examined the meaning of the changing strategic environment of the Arctic and the High North for the United States and her allies. In March 2018, the High North I conference provided an opportunity to survey the critical military missions assigned to Alaska and their role in the defense of U.S. interests in North East Asia, the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific, as well as the Arctic. With regard to the Arctic, that conference examined the changing environment of the Arctic and its political, military, and economic implications for regional and global stability. During the broad agenda of the NATO I conference in July 2018, DOCA considered the role of the United Kingdom as a power in the High North and the dynamics for European and American security of a resurgent Russia, including briefings on the Russian challenge at Mons, NATO’s military headquarters.

For this conference, DOCA will convene in Oslo and Brussels to concentrate on security in Northern Europe given the continued resurgence and nature of Russian activity, the emergence of “near- Arctic” nations, such as China, seeking to expand their presence and influence, and the strategic challenges emanating from the changing environment of the Arctic. The response of the United States to these developments over a brief period of time include a focused development of an Arctic strategy, the reestablishment in 2018 of the Second Fleet by the United States Navy and additional investment by the Department of Defense in antisubmarine warfare systems, and enhanced rotational presence for the Marine Corps in Norway. The United States was also a key participant in NATO’s second Trident Juncture exercise in 2018, the largest NATO military exercise in Norway since the 1980s.

The read-ahead material is provided from a number of viewpoints and includes a variety of sources. Items in the read-ahead may be accessed by clicking on the item title or other reference as highlighted here. Those items are available for review online or, if written materials, may be downloaded or printed.

The Arctic Environment Charting a New Arctic Ocean Center for Strategic and International Studies (May 15, 2019) Briefing paper on the environmental conditions, governance, and navigation issues in the emerging Arctic.

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The Arctic Waterway to Russia’s Economic Future The Wilson Quarterly (Summer/Fall 2017) Lawson Brigham, who spoke to the DOCA conference in Alaska in 2018, analyzed the critical importance of the Northern Sea Route to Russia’s economic future and the near-term and long-term challenges faced by Moscow in realizing its potential in this essay. The graphic immediately below is included in the analysis.

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U.S. and Allied Force Posture Integrating America’s Newest Fleet to Adapt to the Challenges in the North Atlantic and Arctic Defense News (May 31, 2019) Admiral James G. Foggo, III, USN, Commander, Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and Commander, Allied Joint Forces Command Naples (NATO) provided his view on priorities for Allied naval power in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

Marines, Sailors and Coasties Play Catch-up in Arctic Warfare Defense News (May 31, 2019)

Bolton: Coast Guard to Help Reassert US Leadership in Arctic Navy Times (May 22, 2019)

“You Haven’t Seen Us:” Norway Kicks Tires on Stealthy F-35s as First Exercise Begins Military.com (May 9, 2019)

The Navy Sends a Carrier Back to Russia’s Arctic Haunts Navy Times (October 19, 2018)

China China’s Multifaceted Arctic Strategy War on the Rocks (May 24, 2019)

NATO and Norwegian Defense How NATO and the U.S. Are Preparing for Any Russian Aggression Off the Coast of Norway 60 Minutes (April 28, 2019) Please note this is a transcript of David Martin’s report. The video, previously provided to members with the conference background paper, is now only available on CBS All Access.

Aligning Capabilities of NATO Navies to the Future Operating Environment NATO (February 6, 2019)

NATO’s Trident Juncture Exercises: What to Know Council on Foreign Relations (October 23, 2018)

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Norway Increases Defense Budget by 7.3 Percent for 2019 Defense-aerospace.com (October 9, 2018)

Security in Northern Europe and the Road to the 2018 NATO Summit Center for Strategic and International Studies (November 20, 2017)

Norwegian-Russian Relations Norway and Russia Prepare for Worst-Case Scenario High North News (June 4, 2019) Review of joint Norwegian-Russian preparedness for accidents at sea.

How Norway and Russia Avoid Conflict over Svalbard The Arctic Institute (June 19, 2018)

Norway-Russia Relations to Deteriorate Following U.S. Marines’ Base Extension: Russian Sources Reuters (June 24, 2017)

The Norwegian TV Series That’s Enraged the Kremlin - And Why You Should Watch It Politico (March 20, 2016) Occupied (Okkupert) is available in the United States on Netflix. A third season was confirmed and is under production.

The Oil Market and Regional Resources Norway Is Walking Away from Billions of Barrels of Oil Bloomberg (April 8, 2019)

Norway and EU Clash Over Rights to Resource-Rich Waters Around Svalbard Eye on the Arctic (July 18, 2018)

U.S. Strategy The U.S. Navy’s New Arctic Strategy: What It Means for America’s Sea Services Video - Naval War College (May 29, 2019) - 91 Minutes

The US Navy’s New Arctic Strategy Is Limited In Scope and Details, Say Critics Arctic Today (April 29, 2019)

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Document: Coast Guard Arctic Strategic Outlook USNI News (April 22, 2019)

Trump Administration’s New Arctic Defense Strategy Expected to Zero In On Concerns About China The Washington Post (March 15, 2019)

Russian Force Posture Russia’s New Electronic Warfare Capabilities in the Arctic The Jamestown Foundation (May 30, 2019)

Russian Navy with Artillery Shooting in Norwegian Sea, Second in a Month The Barents Observer (May 16, 2019)

Russia Revamps Arctic Military Base to Stake Claim on Region Associated Press (April 4, 2019)

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Speakers and Briefers Svein Efjestad Svein Efjestad, Policy Director for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, was born at Varhaug, South West Norway. He graduated from The University of Oslo in 1980 (Political Science, International Law and History). He held a scholarship at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (NUPI) from 1978 – 1980. He joined the Ministry of Defense in 1981 working in the Security Policy Office, acting as Head of the office from 1985 – 1986. Efjestad joined the Norwegian Delegation to NATO from 1986 – 1990. There he worked on different defense planning and nuclear policy committees. Returning to the Ministry of Defense in 1990, Efjestad was appointed Head of Division, in charge of The Security Policy Office. In 1991, he was promoted to Deputy Director General in the Security Policy Department. From 1995 – 2013 Efjestad was Director General for Security Policy at the Ministry of Defense. From 2013, Efjestad is Policy Director at the same ministry. Efjestad has been representing Norway in a number of committees in NATO, including the High Level Group and the Senior Official Group. Ha has chaired many bilateral and regional committees including the bilateral US - Norwegian Study Group and the Nordic Policy Steering Committee. He has also been a member of the Coordination Committee for the Secret Service in Norway and the Coordination Committee for the Norwegian Intelligence Service.

Currently, Efjestad is chairing the Coast Guard Council. He represents Norway at the Political Steering Committee of the Nordic Defense Cooperation. He represents Norway in a number of

Conference Read-Ahead 6 Defense Orientation Conference Association High North II/NATO II international meetings. Efjestad is member of the Board for the Norwegian Defense Institute. He has lectured at several Norwegian and International Institutions on defense and security issues. In 2014, Efjestad was awarded “Das Ehrenkreutz der Bundeswehr in Gold” from the German Minister of Defense. Also in 2014, Efjestad was appointed Commander of “Finlands Lejons Orden”.

Andreas Østhagen Andreas Østhagen is a Research Fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo, Norway (2017- ). He is additionally a PhD-candidate at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver (2015- ), and a Senior Fellow and Leadership Group member at The Arctic Institute and the Center for Circumpolar Security Studies. He is also an affiliated fellow at the High North Center at Nord University Business School (2014- ). Previously, Østhagen worked for the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) in Oslo (2014-2017), and at the North Norway European Office in Brussels (2010-2014). He has also had shorter work-stints at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. (2011), and the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation in Toronto, Canada (2013).

From Bodø, North Norway, Østhagen has been concerned with Arctic-related issues for a decade. Currently, his work focuses on maritime boundaries and resource management, under the larger framework of international relations. In addition, he has worked on questions concerning security, legal frameworks, and natural resource development across the Arctic states and regions. He has published a number of articles, reports and op-eds, including in Defense Studies, Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, and Arctic Review on Law and Politics. Østhagen holds a Master of Science (MSc) from the London School of Economics (LSE) in European and international affairs, and a Bachelor’s degree in political economy from the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Ulf Sverdrup Ulf Sverdrup is the Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). He holds a doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of Oslo. Before taking up the position at NUPI, he was a professor at the Norwegian Business School BI, and a research professor at ARENA, Centre for European Studies, at the University of Oslo. He earned his Masters degree at the University of Bergen.

Sverdrup has published extensively on various topics in international politics, with a particular emphasis on European politics, European integration and Norwegian foreign policy. Sverdrup was the Head of the Secretariat for the Official Norwegian Europe Review (NOU 2012:2) which assessed the impacts and implications of Norway’s agreements with the EU. He has been a Jean Monnet fellow at the European University Institute, a Visiting scholar at the Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung, and he has also worked as senior advisor in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a regular contributor to Dagens Næringsliv.

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Rolf Tamnes Rolf Tamnes is Professor at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies (IFS). He formerly served as Director of IFS 1996–2012, head of the international research program, Geopolitics in the High North, 2008–2012, adjunct professor at the University of Oslo 1995–2009, public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington D.C., 2005–2006. He was also a visiting fellow at CSIS and St Antony's College, Oxford, 2014. He is a member of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences.

In 2015, Tamnes was Head of the Expert Commission on Norwegian Security and Defense Policy appointed by the Norwegian defense minister and member of the Afghanistan Committee appointed by the Norwegian government.

He is currently Head of the research program, Security and Defense In Northern Europe, at IFS. His fields of interest include Norwegian defence, foreign and security polic, contemporary and Cold War history, defense planning, homeland security, international operations and NATO, the Barents region and resource policy, nuclear policy, and US-European relations.

Michael Tetzschner Michael Tetzschner is a member of the Stortinget (Norwegian Parliament) and a member of the Conservative Party. He was Chair of the City Government of Oslo from 1989 to 1991 and was elected to the Stortinget in 2009. As a member of the Stortinget, he serves as Chair of the Delegation to the Nordic Council, First Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, Vice Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the European Parliament, Vice Chair of the Interparliamentary Conference on the EU’s Common Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy, and Member of the Credentials Committee. He also served as a Norwegian Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 2009 to 2013. Mr. Tetzschner is currently Chair of the Oslo Conservative Party.

Please consult the agenda for additional speakers and briefers in support of the conference.

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