NAADSN co-hosted the Young Leaders’ Summit on Northern Climate Change, led by Ecology North, held at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS), Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The “Summit” was an opportunity for youth, aged 18 to 30 (priority on regional representation from throughout the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon), to come together and discuss climate change mitigation and adaptation in Northern Canada, including security and safety dimensions. Participants learned about various impacts and actions from Elders, researchers, land-users, policy makers, and other climate leaders.

NAADSN’s Emerging Leader’s Node (ELN) just finished hosting its 4th Annual Graduate Conference. The conference lasted from 26th to the 28th of July and was designed to provide presentation experience to students, get their current research in front of audiences, and showcase emerging talent. The conference consisted of seven panels that demonstrated the depth and breadth of NAADSN’s research, from broad concerns such as climate change to more niche research such as emerging weapons. Emerging scholars presented across the methodological spectrum, from quantitative polling and analysis to qualitative interviews and longitudinal archival research. The panels are posted on our website...

NAADSN co-hosted with the Institute for International Affairs at the University of Iceland “THE CHANGING ARCTIC: Will the Arctic see greater military engagement or continue cooperation?” This 7 June seminar was held at the National Museum of Iceland (Reykjavík), investigating how Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine has affected notions of Arctic security. NAADSN Network Coordinator Dr. James Fergusson offered a keynote presentation on how allies can strengthen collective security across the Arctic and North Atlantic, with Network Lead Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer presenting on the subsequent panel. Network Coordinator Dr. Marc Lanteigne brought his expertise on China into his address...

The North American Arctic Security Workshop (NAASW), held in Nuuk, Greenland on 21-22 April, was the first in a series of combined NAADSN, University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik) Nasiffik Center, and Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies (TSC) workshops that bring together diverse experts from Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark/Greenland, and the United States to discuss security in the North American Arctic. This continues and expands conversations on regional security that began in the Advancing Collaboration in Canada-U.S. Regional Security (ACCUSARS) series from 2020-2022. The region’s increasing accessibility presents opportunities for Arctic and non-Arctic states to pursue economic and military...

NAADSN is pleased to host Torsten Kjølby Nielsen, Chief Counselor for Arctic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, on a study visit to Canada to gain a better understanding of Canadian Arctic policies though discussions with Canadian experts and meetings with relevant Canadian Arctic stakeholders. Organized by the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) and the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University, "Canadian Perspectives on Arctic Alignments with the Kingdom of Denmark" examines Canadian/Danish cooperation on: Maintaining a Peaceful, Secure, and Safe Arctic Enhancing Bilateral and Regional Cooperation Sustainable Development and Climate Change...

On 13-14 March 2023, NAADSN collaborated with the NATO Exploratory Team on Climate Security and Defence Activities, NATO Research Task Group on the Effects of Climate Change on Security, and the nascent Climate Security Association of Canada (CSAC) to host a workshop in Montreal on Climate and Security. While security policy and practice in most countries has long prioritized defence against military threats to the national territory and interests, climate change requires a reconsideration of the sources of insecurity, the manner in which threats manifest, and the appropriate types of policy responses. Governments and inter-governmental organizations have responded by increasing...

NAADSN partnered with The Canada-Russia Research Initiative (CRRI) in organizing the workshop “Framing Russia's Arctic Interests,” held in Victoria, BC, on 24 February 2023. This invitation-only workshop brought together a group of Canadian experts with diverse opinions and backgrounds to interrogate Russian strategic messaging and signaling in the Circumpolar Arctic and what this means for Canada and its allies on the larger international stage. Held on the first anniversary of Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine, this one-day workshop was designed to foster greater understanding of security challenges and risks affecting the North American Arctic. Sessions examined Russia as an Arctic...

This North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) Ideas Series held via Zoom examined the aerospace defeat mechanisms integral not just to NORAD modernization but to developing a larger deterrence by denial capability gestured towards in SSE. In a world of growing great power competition but stretched defence budgets, can Canada develop an effective defeat capability that will give it future policy options? Register here

Learn more and register here DT2017 Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, Map

An eminent historian on the Canadian Arctic, Shelagh Grant (1938-2020) taught Canadian Studies at Trent University for seventeen years. Her myriad contributions to scholarship include Sovereignty or Security? Government Policy in the Canadian North, 1939-1950 (1988) and Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America (2010), which encouraged critical reflections on the connections between sovereignty and security in the Canadian North in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This one-day workshop, convened in honour of Shelagh and hosted in a hybrid (in-person and virtual) format, will bring together established and emerging thinkers to discuss various topics related to sovereignty...

Session: The Future of Arctic Cooperation Co-organized with Nassifik, Inuit Circumpolar Council, and NAADSN Speakers: Sara Olsvig, ICC & Ilisimatusarfik (Greenland) Whitney Lackenbauer, Trent University & North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) (Canada) Lassi Heininen, University of Lapland (Finland) Rasmus Leander Nielsen, Nasiffik – Centre for Foreign & Security Policy & Ilisimatusarfik (Greenland) Moderator: Michael Sfraga, Polar Institute at the Wilson Center (United States)

Co-hosted by the Canada-Russia Research Initiative (CRRI) and the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN); supported by a MINDS TEG Participants will discuss Russia as an Arctic state in the context of global strategic competition, how it frames its subsequent Arctic interests, and the risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities facing Canada and its allies with respect to Russia and the Arctic in regional and global contexts.

Register here: https://forms.gle/J1FnxAxGgAqxqn7fA Contact: emergingleadersnode@naadsn.ca

Thursday, June 2 Political consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Arctic Moderator: Andrew Chater, Brescia University Timo Koivurova, University of Lapland Tony Penikett, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Gabrielle Gricius, Colorado State University David Roddick, Independent researcher (Whitehorse, Yukon Territory) 1:30 – 2:00 Dalee Sambo Dorough, Inuit Circumpolar Council Friday, June 3 Military consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Arctic Moderator: Jackie Kidd, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Andrea Charron, University of Manitoba Capt(N) Jacob French, Joint Task Force North Rebecca Pincus, U.S. Naval War College Thomas Hughes, Queens University 10:45 – 12:15 Economic and social consequences of...

Sara Olsvig is a Ph.D.-fellow at Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland. Olsvig is an appointed member of the Constitutional Commission of Greenland, and member of the Human Rights Council of Greenland. Sara Olsvig served as member of the Parliament of Denmark (2011 - 2015) and the Parliament of Greenland (2013 - 2018). She has been leader of the political party Inuit Ataqatigiit. Olsvig was Vice Premier and Minister of Social Affairs, Families, Gender Equality and Justice in the Government of Greenland from 2016 to 2018. Olsvig was member (2011 - 2014) and Chairperson of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of...

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The North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network, (NAADSN), Nasiffik, the Ted Steven Center for Arctic Security Studies, the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience (CASR), and the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) present a virtual ACCUSARS III workshop on 24 and 25 March 2022 that seeks to advance greater understanding of security challenges and risks affecting the North American Arctic. This workshop on “Advancing Collaboration in Canada-U.S. Arctic Regional Security” (ACCUSARS) builds upon a series of prior events addressing North American Arctic Security, including ACCUSARS I and II held in September 2020 and March 2021 respectively, and expands our...

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We are excited to be collaborating with the Defence and Security Foresight Group, the Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs (SICEMA) at Mount Saint Vincent University, and Women in International Security Canada (WIIS-C) on a series of webinars focused on Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+). Our goal is to ask, why is intersectionality and GBA+ important in research?  From May 25-28, 2021 we will host a series of webinars bringing together experts in their fields who can share their experiences with including intersectionality and GBA+ in their research designs, the challenges and successes they have had to date,...

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Register here This webinar is the first of a longer webinar series hosted by the Artificial Intelligence Institute and Drs. Bessma Momani and Jean-François Bélanger at the University of Waterloo. Each webinar will explore a different aspect of AI and warfare, bringing together both technical and policy experts to discuss the big questions, concerns, and developments in the field. Our first webinar will explore how interconnected the development of artificial intelligence and warfare is. This is a broad question, but one that is the overarching backbone of this webinar series. Discussions around the military application of AI are nothing new, and have...

Register here Presented by the Centre for International Policy Studies, the Observatoire de la politique et la sécurité de l’Arctique (OPSA), and the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN). The Arctic Council is the primary multilateral forum regrouping Arctic states and people and cooperating on social and environmental issues. Iceland is about to pass the chairmanship to Russia for a 2-year mandate. Russia has already announced major investments and possesses ambitious objective to develop its part of the Arctic. The chairmanship is presented as an excellent opportunity to play an active role in the region. The objective...

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Greenland lies at the center of powerful dynamics occurring in the Arctic region, posited at the forefront of the climate crisis and confronted with geopolitical tensions as the United States and China compete to invest on the island. At the same time, Greenlandic society is on the road to enhanced autonomy from the Danish realm, inching ever closer to sovereignty from Denmark. Questions about sovereignty, security alliances, bilateral cooperation and the management of natural resources are central to the fate of the island. The upcoming Greenlandic election, scheduled for April 6, will provide further answers as to how the island...

The purpose of ACCUSARS II is to create a Strategic Foresight Assessment (SFA) for the North American Arctic. ACCUSARS I provided an initial SFA for the Canadian Arctic, which provided an initial baseline to be further developed. We plan to conduct ACCUSARS II as a virtual meeting and kindly invite Canadian and American participants from ACCUSARS I to rejoin us for the meeting. ACCUSARS is co-hosted by NAADSN and the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC). Register here

Wednesday March 24 and Friday March 26 A student forum on the North American Arctic co-hosted with Norwich University Peace and War Center, in cooperation with the Royal Military College (RMC), Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean (CMR) and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Center for Arctic Security and Resilience (CASR).

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Register here A reminder that the same Zoom link is used for all six sessions. After registering, if you do not receive the initial Zoom link before an event begins, please reach out to NAADSN Network Manager Dr. Shannon Nash: shannonnash@trentu.ca

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy will deliver the annual Paul Buteux Lecture on the Legacy of 9/11 on Policing which is part of a series of events that make up the J.W. Dafoe Political Studies Students' Conference this year dedicated to The Legacy of 9/11 and the Defence of North America. Register for this event here

Presentation Slides by Dr. Mathieu Landriault

Russian Arctic Strategies - Ambitions and Near-Term Expectations Downloads: PowerPoint Presentation by Troy Bouffard and P. Whitney Lackenabuer

Voices from the Arctic: Diverse Views on Canadian Arctic Security Downloads: Activity Report by John Lauzon This event is co-hosted by NAADSN and the International Security, Research and Outreach Program (ISROP) with Global Affairs Canada. This is an invite-only event, but if you are interested, please contact us.

Did the Cold War Ever End?: The New Arctic Security Triangle Environment Downloads: PowerPoint Presentation by Dr. Rob Huebert Activity Report by Nicole Covey  

Is it Time for Canada to Revisit Missile Defence Downloads: Activity Report by Alexander MacDonald

NAADSN and the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) co-hosted a workshop to focus on specific initiatives that will improve understanding and enhance collaboration between Canada-US Arctic security professionals. Focusing on emerging trends in medium- and long-term North American Arctic security environment, the mix of academics and practitioners at this workshop anticipated potential North American Arctic futures to identify potential gaps and shortfalls in current strategies, capabilities, and research. Advancing Collaboration in Canada- US Arctic Regional Security (ACCUSARS) Workshop Report, September 2020 (draft) ACCUSARS: Key Drivers/Themes/Trends + Proposed Indicators.pdf Workshop Information and Agenda Workshop Literature Review Understanding the Future Arctic Security Environment:...

The Canadian Rangers and Community Resilience Downloads: PowerPoint Slides from Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer and Dr. Peter Kikkert (.pdf)

Present and Future Challenges to Governing Emerging Technologies Downloads: Quick Impact: Governing the Future(s) of Emerging Technologies in Canada, by Kristen Csenkey and Nina Bindel, August 2020 The NAADSN Ideas Series are conversations over Zoom that feature paper presentations and roundtable discussions about timely and relevant North American and Arctic defence and security topics. Josh Gold is a research assistant at the Citizen Lab, at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. His research focuses on international cyberspace governance and conflict in cyberspace. Josh is also a board member of the Canadian International Council's Toronto...

  Register here *Registration ends July 3, 2020* The virtual workshop will be held Friday July 10 at 12pm EST on Zoom. You will have the chance to discuss with leading academic, industry, and policy experts about the future of Canada’s defence programme and, specifically, how it pertains to the emergence of ‘connected battlespaces’. Please register ASAP — participation is limited. You can choose between three breakout groups: Defence Policy and Strategic Planning Canada and the FVEY NORAD Modernization Key questions the discussion will answer: What are Canada’s capability gaps with respect to achieving a connected battlespace? What are the...

The North American Arctic: Security Challenges and Opportunities Downloads: Activity Report by Danielle Cherpako Ten Key Takeaways by Nancy Teeple The NAADSN Ideas Series are conversations over Zoom that feature paper presentations and roundtable discussions about timely and relevant North American and Arctic defence and security topics. Please follow us on Twitter and check back here for registration information for this event. On the evening of June 24th Iris Ferguson, Lindsay Rodman and Andrea Charron will discuss the challenges and opportunities for North American Arctic security in the near term in a geopolitically contested world.  Representing US and Canadian perspectives,...

Threats In, To, and Through the Canadian Arctic: A Framework for Analysis Downloads: PowerPoint Presentation Activity Report by Ryan Dean

Democracy, Donald Trump, and the Future of the Canada-U.S. Security Community Downloads: PowerPoint Presentation Policy Brief by Wilfrid Greaves Activity Report by Nancy Teeple Greaves, Wilfrid, "Democracy, Donald Trump and the Canada-US Security Community." Canadian Journal of Political Science, 2020, p.1-21.

Peter Kikkert, Angulalik Pedersen, and P. Whitney Lackenbauer. Kitikmeot Roundtable on Search and Rescue – General Report and Findings. Report from a workshop hosted at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, 31 January – 1 February 2020. 68 pp. Peter Kikkert, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, and Angulalik Pedersen. Kitikmeot Roundtable on Search and Rescue – Mass Rescue Table Top Exercise Report. Report from an exercise facilitated by the Canadian Coast Guard in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, 1 February 2020. 52 pp. In the face of increased maritime, aeronautical, and terrestrial activity in Canada’s Arctic, effective community-based search...

The Arctic region is melting at an alarming rate. Global warming has already created political, economic and social changes for Northerners and governments in charge of administrating their Arctic territories. The loss of ice sea has profound consequences on public policies. At the same time, this dynamic generates uncertainty, bringing organizations and individuals alike to make predictions about the future. This conference wants to convene experts and practitioners to hear different perspectives on the challenges that rise in a changing Arctic region. 13:30 – 14:30: Military operations and Arctic sea-ice loss Moderator: Mark Salter (University of Ottawa) Lieutenant Commander Sylvain...

This conference will bring together scholars, military representatives, and current and former policymakers to discuss the history, achievements, and future of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, established during World War Two to coordinate US and Canadian defenses in North America.