Svein Efjestad
Svein Efjestad graduated from The University of Oslo in 1980 (Political Science, International Law and History). He held a scholarship at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs (NUPI) from 1978 – 1980.
He joined the Ministry of Defence in 1981 and Norwegian delegation to NATO form 1986-1990.In NATO Efjestad worked on policy issues related to defence and nuclear planning.
Returning to the Ministry of Defence in 1990, Efjestad was appointed Head of Division, in charge of The Security Policy Office. In 1991, Efjestad was promoted to Deputy Director General in The Security Policy Department.
From 1995 – 2013 Efjestad served as Director General for Security Policy at the Ministry of Defence. From 2013 Efjestad was 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 committees dealing with coordination of intelligence in Norway. Efjestad was chairing the Norwegian Coast Guard Council for more than 20 years.
He has lectured at several Norwegian and International Institutions on defence and security issues.
In 2014 Efjestad was awarded “Das Ehrenkreutz der Bundeswehr in Gold” from the German Minister of Defence. Also in 2014, Efjestad was appointed Commander of “Finlands Lejons Orden”. He was awarded the Medal of Merit of the Norwegian Navy in 2021
Efjestad retired from the MOD in August 2022 and is now a senior adviser at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
Projects All projects
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Transatlantic Security – Challenges and Opportunities
Research project | 2022 - 2023 (Ongoing)This project will analyze developments in transatlantic security policy. The project will include researchers from all three countries, and the goal is to contribute to a greater understanding of curr...
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Norway and Great Power Politics – Geopolitics, Technology and Climate (NISP)
Research project | 2022 - 2024 (Ongoing)Our times are shaped by developments in geopolitical power dynamics, fast-paced technological development and climate change. In this research program NUPI analyses how these developments change the s...
Articles All articles
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Security and defence
3 Jan 2022How can we best handle current and future wars and crises? What kind of threats are we likely to face in the years to come? Who are the future actors1
