Workshop & Symposium Reports
North Atlantic Arctic Crisis Workshop 2023 Report
On December 12-13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies held a workshop at the University of New Hampshire entitled the North Atlantic Arctic Crisis Workshop. The workshop was facilitated by the UNH Center for Spills and Environmental Hazards which is co-located with NOAA’s Coastal Response Research Center. Many workshops have been held to address security issues in the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas, but few have focused on the North Atlantic Arctic, though there are many potential climate change, infrastructure and environment-related challenges that could arise (e.g., severe storms, vessel accidents, security breaches) and trigger cascading issues (e.g., public health crisis, community isolation, natural resource damage). This report details the structure of the workshop, plenary overview, and crisis scenarios discussed in the Tabletop Exercise and summarizes the findings including the gaps identified for future TSC efforts/research.
Arctic and Homeland Defense Symposium 2023 Report
This report is the product of the Arctic & Homeland Defense Symposium conducted on 11 May 2023 at U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) on Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, by the Homeland Defense Institute and the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. This symposium explored the likely approaches to North America emanating through the Arctic and considerations senior defense leaders should carefully explore. This report is a summary of the symposium.
North American Arctic Security Workshop: Spring 2023 Workshop Report
This report is the product of the first in a series of North American Arctic regional workshops collaboratively hosted and designed by the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies (TSC), the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), and the Ilisimatusarfik’s Nasiffik Center. The workshop brought together experts, practitioners, and students from the Kingdom of Denmark, Canada, and the United States to discuss the broad and multifaceted aspects affecting North American Arctic security. This report is designed to provide a record of the discussion for current and future policymakers to address the opportunities, concerns, and recommendations raised throughout the workshop. In addition, the report also highlights key themes to consider in the context of North American Arctic security.
ALCOM Arctic Symposium 2022 Report
This report is the product of the Alaskan Command Arctic Symposium 2022 (AAS22) that took place in Anchorage, Alaska from May 2-6, 2022. Arctic Indigenous leaders, senior government officials from the United States, Allies and partners, Alaska government leaders, and other Arctic experts representing a wide array of organizations provided perspectives and participated in significant, diverse, and focused discussions and activities. AAS22 sought to improve participant understanding of the challenges in the complicated and complex environment that describes the new circumpolar north. Throughout the symposium, moderators and active participants shared their insights on needed solutions to address and potentially reduce defense and security risks. With its motto of “The Horizon Beyond for the High North,” AAS22 utilized diverse methods to review the past, address the present, and look to the future of the Arctic, with a particular focus to the emerging defense and security landscape of the region. The event featured an ALCOM-hosted classified tabletop exercise and TSC-hosted Arctic Regional Security Orientation Course Executive Seminar. This report is designed to provide a record of the events and discussions.
European Security Seminar North 2023
The Arctic is at an inflection point and policymakers must take action to ensure the future of the Arctic region is one of stability and prosperity – while also contending with major changes to global dynamics in the political, economic, and environmental arenas that extend far south of the Arctic Circle. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have significant impacts for the Arctic region, ending the ‘Arctic Exceptionalism’ that had dominated the region for decades. Cooperative mechanisms and dialogue largely remain at a standstill, as the Western world remains unified in support of international laws and norms. Climate change is acting as an accelerant for the resource-rich region that is brimming with potential for economic development and, with that, strategic competition. As nations reorient to the new geopolitical realities, likeminded stakeholders have an emerging opportunity to cooperatively address regional challenges and chart an innovative course for the Arctic.
European Security Seminar – North 2022 High North, High Tension?
In September, more than fifty senior policymakers, security practitioners, and academics from fifteen nations gathered in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the fifth iteration of the European Security Seminar – North (ESS-N). For the first time, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies co-hosted ESS-N with the newest DOD Regional Center, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. The findings within this paper do not necessarily reflect the individual views of participants or the hosting institutions, but rather the consensus of the invited experts.
