Enabling co-operation to advance transformation

The leading regional defence forum – Nordic Defence – is back for 2009. After the success of our first year in 2008 we return with an exclusive venue for the leadership of military and industry organisations active in the nations of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and their regional neighbours.

The success of the event lies in the holistic approach we take to regional defence issues, the seniority of those taking part, the organisation of the session into distinct themes and of course the care we take in making the conference an enjoyable and fruitful experience.

As many of our participants remarked last year, it’s an excellent opportunity to meet the key influencers and decision makers within Nordic Defence and take stock of both the military and industry relationships that are constantly developing. Giving insights into major investment projects and procurement selections, the thinking behind force commanders decisions, it’s the ultimate source for market intelligence for the Nordic region and assessing the priorities in defence for the year ahead and how they’ll impact your organisation.

This year some of the guiding ideas and influence behind the conference will include:

• Regional and National Security: In the face of the evolving and sometimes difficult (but equally sometimes overstated) security situation presented by Russia, how can Nordic nations ensure their national interests remain protected and ought common security but pursued through regional cooperation or on an individual basis?
• Collaborative procurement: Broadly similar requirements and a common high tech industrial base suggest that the Nordic nations ought to be able pursue joined up procurements that drive costs down and offer higher capabilities. But how can this be made to work in practice, are these aims achievable in the short to medium term and can these cooperation efforts survive even when specific collaborative procurement initiatives don’t deliver as initially hoped or expected?
• Creating a deployable and adaptive force structure: Whilst some nations retain a posture of “total defence”, other nations require a more flexible fighting force. Which option provides the greatest guarantor of national security but still meets international commitments? How does a nation best move to a deployable armed force and what issues will arise as these transformations take place?
• How to maximise the capabilities provided by industry whilst mindful of wider economic concerns: The Nordic nations’ each possess a strong and commercially viable defence industrial base. But granting contracts to regional suppliers based upon local economic priorities isn’t affordable in the current climate. Maintaining national defence industries whilst ensuring value for money for the military customer requires a delicate balance to be struck and we explore the strategic and day-today implications at the heart of this issue
• Roundtable Discussions and Networking: No conference is just about the presentations – and so we offered unparalleled opportunities for questioning and answering that will enable real engagement between the speaker panel and audience. Coupled with networking sessions that will accommodate more sensitive “off-line” discussions, the entire conference is an extremely valuable

Register by 11th September 2009 and receive up to €100 off!