Page 22 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

The Finns and Swedes are paying close attention to what's going on now with regard to Russian behavior, the
Baltic Sea in particular.

There's an increasingly close dialogue among the Nordic countries now. Some of them are not NATO members
obviously.

FIGURE 3 THE CURRENT COLLABORATIVE FRAMEWORK IN TERMS OF WORKING NORDIC DEFENSE AND SECURITY

There is clearly renewed focus on Nordic-Baltic cooperation and working practical ways to enhance
interoperability of our forces and as I mentioned earlier ways to shape more effective crisis management.

And we have seen as well an increased U.S. interest in an engagement in the Nordic cooperation and the
Nordic-Baltic cooperation as well.

The U.S. plays a key role in the Nordic-Baltic setting.

And the UK has become an important player in the Nordic Security Zone as well.

The UK under then Defence Minister Liam Fox initiated the Northern Group Framework.
This Framework includes in the British perspective, Nordic countries, UK, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands
in looking at security situation in Northern Europe.

I think there's some real potential within that working framework as well to enhance defense and crisis
management capabilities.

Question: There is considerable turbulence in Europe ranging from Brexit to the movement for Catalonian
independence.

The importance of deterrence and crisis management as you are working it can be an important
contribution as well to the next phase of European development.

In other words, even though this is about defense and security, the kind of collaborative interaction you
are having with the UK, other Nordics, the Dutch, the Germans and the Balts can contribute as well to a
broader European agenda.

How do you see that process?

Second Line of Defense

Page 21