Speakers
Home / Conference / KCIS 2022 / Njord Wegge
Dr. Njord Wegge
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Njord Wegge is currently “Chair of Arctic Security” at Marine Corps University, Quantico, USA, where he leads a research project focusing on power projection and military operations on NATO’s northern flank. Wegge has been a visiting scholar to U.C. Berkeley, USA, spring 2009, and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Tromsø 2016–2018. Njord Wegge finished his PhD, focusing on international Relations in the Arctic, in 2013 at the University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway. Wegge was a guest researcher/ senior research fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) 2012–2014 and senior research fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) 2017–2019. Njord Wegge has worked as a senior social science advisor for the Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee (EOS-Committee) 2014–2017 and have published several articles and book chapters on intelligence oversight, intelligence methods and accountability. Njord Wegge was an Editor in Political Science in the peer reviewed academic journal Arctic Review on Law and Politics 2013–2019, and guest editor 2021/2022. Njord Wegge is member of staff at the NDUC/NMA since 2020. Njord Wegge is also member of Høyre’s (The conservative party’s) International Committee since summer 2022.
Conference Abstract
The strategic challenge of expeditionary warfare and the defence of NATO’s northern flank
Defending NATO’s northern flank in an international situation characterized by great power rivalry, represents a strategic challenge involving both political dilemmas and operational challenges, as well as climatic and geographic obstacles. As the northern flank has little infrastructure, no permanent foreign military bases and is located in the shadows of a potent Russian A2/AD system, it is a difficult part of the alliance to operate in and project power. As the US Marine Corps is the primary American expeditionary force designated to support NATO in the high north, this chapter will use the USMC and its evolving operational concepts as the analysis’ point of departure. Through applying the security-political context of the High North this chapter analyses the degree to, and the way in which the Marine Corps is planning to conduct joint operations in this demanding northern region. In specific the chapter assess how the USMC can operate with other branches of the US military as well as local allied forces. Using the US Marines experimental concept Force Design 2030, through which the USMC is supposed to be closer integrated with the NAVY, applying the operational concept labelled Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, this chapter seeks to give a comprehensive assessment of the challenges for NATO to develop, prepare, and train to be better prepared to project military power on its northern flank.
