Book launch: Defending NATO’s Northern Flank. Power Projection and Military Operations

NATO’s northern flank is a large maritime and littoral theatre, where NATO directly borders Russia’s Northern Fleet Military Administrative Territory, which is the location of some of Russia’s most potent air, sea, and land power capabilities. While military tensions on the northern flank had been relatively low for years, the Ukraine war and increased great-power rivalry have altered that dynamic, with heightened geopolitical tensions.

This has increased the focus on military-strategic competition in this northernmost region of the alliance.

The book presents new assessments of several aspects of military power and security in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.

With an analysis of the security and political climate in the High North and of developments in Western military strategies, capabilities, doctrines, and operational concepts, the volume seeks to bring together an holistic understanding of the strategic challenges and opportunities facing the North Atlantic states and NATO in this dynamic area of responsibility for the alliance. In doing this, the book provides key insights into the role of branch-specific and joint approaches to power projection and operations in the High North, which also include selected country case studies.

Programme

0:00:05 Introduction by Terhi Suominen, Secretary General, Atlantic Council of Finland

0:07:20 Keynote by Dr Njord Wegge  
Professor in Political Science 
Norwegian Military Academy/Norwegian Defence University College 

0:22:07 Keynote by Dr Lon Strauss 
Associate Professor of Military History
Command and Staff College/US Marine Corps University 

0:36:52 Panel discussion and Q&A – participants
Chair: Hanna Ojanen, President of Eurodefense Finland and Researcher Director, Tampere University

In the panel:

• Professor Njord Wegge
• Associate Professor Lon Strauss
• Lieutenant General Janne Jaakkola
  Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy 
  The Finnish Defence Forces