Event

In partnership with NATO’s Allied Maritime Command and in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission in the United Kingdom.

Geopolitics, hybrid threats, and emerging technologies are reshaping NATO’s Northern Flank, requiring enhanced domain awareness. As great power competition intensifies, the Alliance is strengthening its deterrence and defence posture across the Euro-Atlantic. The Arctic Security Seminar will convene military practitioners, academic experts, and policy makers to examine emerging challenges and advance the conversation on Arctic security, with particular attention to the maritime domain from seabed to space. Through keynotes and panel sessions, we will explore and discuss shared challenges and provide avenues of dialogue and cooperation.

Questions: [email protected]

 

0800 – 0850: Arrival & In-processing; Coffee and Tea in the Hall

0850 – 0900: Attendees to be seated

 

0900 – Welcome Address and Opening Remarks

Brigadier-General Jonathan Bouchard, MSM, CD

Defence Advisor, High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom

Vice Admiral Robert G Pedre CB

Commander, Allied Maritime Command

Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer

Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in the Study of the Canadian North, Trent University; Lead, NAADSN

 

0930 – 1045 – Panel #1: Arctic Geopolitics: Strategic Competition in the High North

Mr. Thorir Gudmundsson

Political Advisor, NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk

Dr. Caroline Kennedy-Pipe

Professor, War Studies, Loughborough University

Ms. Marisol Maddox

Senior Arctic Fellow, Institute of Arctic Studies, Dickey Center, Dartmouth College

Dr. Kari Roberts

Professor and Chair, Economic, Justice and Policy Studies, Mount Royal University; Co-Lead, NAADSN

Moderated by: Dr. Gabriella Gricius

Postdoctoral Fellow, Zukunftskolleg, Universität Konstanz

 

1045 – 1100 – Coffee and Tea

 

1100 – 1215 – Panel #2: Leveraging Technology in the Arctic: Innovation, Advantage, and Strategic Risk

Sponsored by the Canadian Maritime Security Network

Mr. John Jensen

President/CEO, ALPHA-EL Inc.

Dr. Benjamin T. Johnson

Assistant Professor, International Relations, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Dr. Liselotte Odgaard

Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Dr. Océane Zubeldia

Director of Armaments and Defense Economics, Institute of Strategic Research (IRSEM)

Moderated by: Dr. Kristen Csenkey

Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Maritime Security Network, St. Francis Xavier University

 

1215 – 1330 – Lunch Buffet

 

1330 – 1445 – Panel #3: Hybrid Threats in the Arctic: Grey Zone Tactics and Alliance Resilience

Dr. Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv

Professor, Security Studies and Geopolitics, UiT: The Arctic University of Norway

Ms. Katarina Kertysova

Policy Officer, Hybrid Strategy and Policy Section, Cyber and Digital Transformation (CDT), NATO HQ

Sgt Jackie Jacobson

1 Canadian Rangers Patrol Group, Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories

Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer

Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in the Study of the Canadian North, Trent University; Lead, NAADSN

Moderated by: Ms. Cordelia Buchanan Ponczek

Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs

 

1445 – 1500 – Coffee and Tea

 

1500 – 1615 – Panel #4: Domain Awareness in the Arctic: From Seabed to Space in a changing operating environment

Dr. Klaus Dodds

Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University

Ms. Iris Ferguson

President and Founder, IAF Strategies

Dr. Paal Sigurd Hilde

Professor, War Studies, Norwegian Defence University College

Lt Col Kim MacLachlan Vetting (R)

Acting Head, Strategic Analysis and Partnerships

NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence

Moderated by: Commander Caroline Hoefsmit

Maritime Allied Command/Permanent Joint Headquarters

 

1615 – 1630 – Joint Closing Remarks

Rear Admiral Thorsten Bobzin, COM MARAIR NATO, Allied Maritime Command

Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Lead, NAADSN

 

1630 – 1800 – Reception at Canada House

June 3, 2026