Research Project
NORDEFCO in a different security environment: Time for new initiatives?
The changed security environment in the Nordic region following the Russian annexation of Crimea, actions in Eastern Ukraine, and the increased assertiveness in Northern Europe has added urgency to the idea of Nordic defence cooperation. From being a cooperation mainly focused on industrial cooperation and defence budgetary needs, NORDEFCO has shifted to emphasise security politics to a higher degree.
As a result of these changes, it’s necessary for NORDEFCO to pursue an agenda more based on security politics where security, planning and operational goals are weighed more heavily. How is this going to affect the cooperation in NORDEFCO? What steps could be taken to create greater strategic synergies within NORDEFCO? Is it viable to extend NORDEFCO’s cooperation areas to include the Baltics?
NUPI and the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) will cooperate on this project, in an effort to revisit NORDEFCO from a strategic/political angle. The project will include public seminars and some written publications. An important goal of this project is to stimulate to a debate about NORDFECO’s role in strengthening Nordic security and defence.
Se also: (Norwegian only): Etter Ukraina-krisen: utfordringer og muligheter for nordisk forsvarssamarbeid
Project Manager
New publications
Swedish–Norwegian Defence Cooperation: New opportunities?
Swedish–Norwegian defence cooperation has encountered rough seas in recent years, but now seems to have entered smoother waters. This is due to both push and pull factors: push because the new security environment has increased the likelihood of a crisis in the Nordic/Baltic region, which would probably involve all Nordic states, irrespective of NATO or EU membership. Pull because of the renewed US engagement in the region, because of the EU incentives for industrial defence cooperation – and because geographical proximity in itself creates possibilities for shared solutions and practices. This Policy Brief focuses on Swedish–Norwegian defence cooperation in the broader Nordic/Baltic context. We begin by reviewing recent developments in Swedish defence policies, and the implications of previous failed joint Swedish–Norwegian projects. We then turn to opportunities that may emerge as a result of the mentioned push and pull factors. These opportunities are to be considered as ideas; they have not been thoroughly discussed and assessed, but may serve as starting points for follow-on debates and explorations.
