Foredragsholdere

Norsk journalist og forfatter. Korrespondent for NRK i Finland og Moskva. Har dekket konflikten mellom Russland og Ukraina tett siden 2014. Har skrevet bøker om nordisk moderne historie og om forholdet mellom Norge og Russland.

Norwegian journalist and writer. Correspondent for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) in Helsinki and Moscow. Reporting on Russias aggresion against Ukraine since 2014. Numerous books on modern nordic history and the relationship between Norway and Russia. 

Svein Harberg er en norsk politiker (Høyre) som har vært innvalgt på Stortinget siden 2009. I perioden 2021-2025 er Harberg Stortingets første visepresident. I tillegg er han andre nestleder i Kontroll- og konstitusjonskomiteen. Denne komiteen arbeider med kontroll av regjeringen og forvaltningen, samt meldinger fra blant annet Riksrevisjonen, EOS-utvalget og Stortingets ombudsnemd for Forsvaret. 

Harberg har vært engasjert i kommunepolitikken i over 30 år, og var ordfører i Grimstad kommune i perioden 2003-2007, samt sittet i Aust-Agder Fylkesting i 6 år. 

Harberg har tidligere drevet med markedsføring, salg og organisasjonsbygging både i egne selskaper og som leder i andre selskaper.

Svein Harberg is a Norwegian politician representing the Conservative Party (Høyre) who has served as a Member of Parliament since 2009. During the 2021-2025 parliamentary term, he holds the position of First Vice President of the Storting. Additionally, he serves as the Second Deputy Chair of The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs. This committee is responsible for overseeing the government and public administration, as well as reviewing reports from entities such as the Office of the Auditor General, the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Security Services, and the Storting’s Ombudsperson for the Armed Forces.

Harberg has been actively involved in municipal politics for over 30 years. He served as the Mayor of Grimstad from 2003 to 2007 and was a member of the Aust-Agder County Council for six years. 

Before his political career, he worked in marketing, sales, and organizational development, both as an entrepreneur and as a leader in various companies.

Eivind Vad Petersson ble utnevnt til statssekretær i Utenriksdepartementet i oktober 2021.

Før utnevnelsen arbeidet Vad Petersson seks år som utenriks- og forsvarspolitisk rådgiver for Arbeiderpartiets stortingsgruppe. Vad Petersson har bakgrunn fra utenrikstjenesten. Han ble tatt opp til Utenriksdepartementets aspirantkurs i 2008. Mellom 2010 og 2016 var han utstasjonert diplomat ved Norges ambassader i Sør-Sudan, Sør-Afrika og Tyskland. 

Vad Petersson har en mastergrad i europeisk og internasjonal politikk fra London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) og bachelorgrader i internasjonale studier og Europa-studier fra Universitetet i Oslo.           

Han er gift og har to barn.

Mr Eivind Vad Petersson was appointed State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October 2021.

Prior to this appointment, Vad Petersson spent six years as a foreign affairs and defence policy adviser to the Labour Party Group in the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).

A diplomat by training, Vad Petersson was admitted to the Foreign Service Trainee Programme of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2008. Between 2010 and 2016, he was posted as a diplomat to Norway’s Embassies to South Sudan, South Africa and Germany.

Vad Petersson holds a master’s degree in European politics and international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and undergraduate degrees in International Studies and European Studies from the University of Oslo.

He is married and has two children.

Magdalena Antonina Trzpil-Halota er en embetskvinne. Hun har jobbet i Forsvarsdepartementet i Polen siden 2010. Før det jobbet hun ved det nasjonale sikkerhetsbyrået.

I Forsvarsdepartementet har hun hatt flere stillinger knyttet til internasjonalt samarbeid, både bilateralt og multilateralt. Gjennom karrieren har hennes hovedinteresser vært samarbeid mellom Polen og USA samt andre viktige polske allierte i regionen innen forsvarsrelasjoner og utvikling av forsvarsmuligheter. Hun var medlem av det polske teamet som forhandlet frem den utvidede forsvarssamarbeidsavtalen med USA. Hun var også involvert i arbeidet med ulike Foreign Military Sales-programmer og koordinerte Foreign Military Financing med sikte på rask anskaffelse av amerikanske forsvarsartikler. For tiden er hun involvert i arbeidet til det polske Forsvarsdepartementet med bruk av EU-finansieringsmekanismer for å styrke forsvarsinvesteringer.

Hun tok stillingen som nestleder for avdelingen for internasjonal sikkerhetspolitikk i begynnelsen av 2025. Før det hadde hun i 4 år stillingen som nestleder for avdelingen for militære utenrikssaker. 

(Denne teksten er oversatt fra engelsk til norsk ved hjelp av KI. Feil kan forekomme.)

Magdalena Antonina Trzpil-Halota is a civil servant. She has been serving in the Ministry of National Defense of Poland since 2010. Prior to that, she worked at the National Security Bureau.  

In the Ministry of National Defense, she hold numerous positions related to international cooperation, both in bilateral and multilateral domains. Through the career, her focal points of interest referred to cooperation between Poland and the United States as well as other Polish key allies from the region in the area of defense relations and development of defense capabilities. She was a member of the Polish team negotiating Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the U.S. She was also engaged in works on various Foreign Military Sales programs and coordinated Foreign Military Financing aimed at swift procurement of the U.S. defense articles. Currently, she is involved in the Polish MoND works on the usage of EU financial mechanisms reinforcing defense investments.   

She took the current positon of the Deputy Director of the International Security Policy Department at the beginning of 2025. Prior to that, for 4 years she held the position of Deputy Director of the Military Foreign Affairs Department.

Lars Gjesvik er seniorforsker i Forskningsgruppen for sikkerhet og forsvar, og medleder for NUPIs forskningssenter for ny teknologi.

Han forsker på samspillet mellom teknologi, handel og makt i internasjonal politikk. Det omfatter tematikker som cybersikkerhet, det ytre rom, digital suverenitet og teknologiavhengighet, økonomisk sikkerhet og derisking, global styring av digitale teknologier, maktkonsentrasjon hos digitale selskaper og beskyttelse av kritisk digital infrastruktur som undersjøiske kabler. Tidligere arbeid har adressert nasjonale tilnærminger og offentlig-privat samarbeid innenfor cybersikkerhet, og desinformasjon og påvirkningskampanjer.

Hans doktorgrad fra Universitet i Oslo (2023) ser på samspillet mellom private selskaper og statlige interesser i det digitale rom, og rollen teknologiselskaper spiller i å sette rammene for internasjonal politikk.

Lars Gjesvik is a senior researcher in the Research Group for Security and Defence at NUPI, where he also serves as the co-leader of the research center for digitization and cyber security. His research focuses on the intersection of private enterprise and state interests, security challenges, and power politics related to digitalization and emerging technologies.

He recently obtained his doctorate from the University of Oslo (in 2023), where he studied the interaction between private companies and state interests in the digital space, and the role of technology companies in shaping international politics. Gjesvik's expertise also includes issues related to the global surveillance industry, digital infrastructure such as submarine internet cables and cloud services, cyber security, and technology dependency.

In his previous work, Gjesvik has addressed national approaches to cyber security and public-private cooperation, as well as disinformation and influence campaigns

Svein Efjestad ble uteksaminert fra Universitetet i Oslo i 1980 (Statsvitenskap, internasjonal rett og historie). Han hadde stipend ved Norsk Utenriksinstitutt (NUPI) fra 1978-1980.

Han begynte i Forsvarsdepartementet i 1981 og tjenestegjorde i NATO-delegasjonen fra 1986-1990. I NATO arbeidet Efjestad med politiske spørsmål knyttet til forsvar og atomplanlegging. Tilbake til Forsvarsdepartementet i 1990 ble Efjestad utnevnt til kontorsjef med ansvar for Sikkerhetspolitisk kontor. I 1991 ble Efjestad forfremmet til avdelingsdirektør i Sikkerhetspolitisk avdeling. Fra 1995-2013 fungerte Efjestad som ekspedisjonssjef for sikkerhetspolitikk i Forsvarsdepartementet. Fra 2013 var Efjestad sikkerhetspolitisk direktør ved samme departement.

Efjestad har representert Norge i en rekke komiteer i NATO, inkludert High Level Group og Senior Official Group. Han har ledet mange bilaterale og regionale komiteer, inkludert den bilaterale USA-Norge-studiegruppen og Nordic Policy Steering Committee.

Han har også vært medlem av komiteer som arbeider med koordinering av etterretning i Norge. Efjestad var leder av Kystvaktrådet i mer enn 20 år.

Han har forelest ved flere norske og internasjonale institusjoner om forsvars- og sikkerhetsspørsmål. 

I 2014 ble Efjestad tildelt «Das Ehrenkreutz der Bundeswehr in Gold» fra den tyske forsvarsministeren. Også i 2014 ble Efjestad utnevnt til kommandør for «Finlands Lejons Orden». Han ble tildelt Sjøforsvarets fortjenstmedalje i 2021.

Efjestad pensjonerte seg fra Forsvarsdepartementet i 2022 og er nå seniorrådgiver ved Norsk Utenriksinstitutt.

Svein Efjestad graduated from the University of Oslo in 1980 (Political Science, International Law, and History). He held a scholarship at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) from 1978-1980.

He joined the Ministry of Defence in 1981 and served in the NATO delegation, Brussels, from 1986-1990. At NATO, Efjestad worked on political issues related to defense and nuclear planning. Back at the Ministry of Defence in 1990, Efjestad was appointed head of the Security Policy Office. In 1991, Efjestad was promoted to Director of the Security Policy Department. From 1995-2013, Efjestad served as Director General for Security Policy in the Ministry of Defence. From 2013, Efjestad was the Director of Security Policy at the same ministry.

Efjestad has represented Norway in numerous NATO committees, including the High Level Group and the Senior Official Group. He has chaired many bilateral and regional committees, including the bilateral USA-Norway Study Group and the Nordic Policy Steering Committee.

He has also been a member of committees working on intelligence coordination in Norway. Efjestad chaired the Coast Guard Council for more than 20 years. He has lectured at several Norwegian and international institutions on defense and security issues.

In 2014, Efjestad was awarded the "Das Ehrenkreutz der Bundeswehr in Gold" by the German Minister of Defence. Also in 2014, Efjestad was appointed Commander of the «Finlands Lejons Orden». He was awarded the Navy's Medal of Merit in 2021.

Efjestad retired from the Ministry of Defence in 2022 and is now a senior advisor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Josefine Aaser har siden oktober 2021 vært spesialutsending for justis- og innenrikssaker ved Norges delegasjon til EU, med ansvar for beredskap, motstandsdyktighet, kontraterror, hybride trusler og cybersikkerhet. Fram til juli 2023 hadde hun delt arbeidssted mellom EU-delegasjonen og Norges delegasjon til NATO.

Fra 2013 til 2017 var hun spesialutsending ved EU-delegasjonen, med ansvar for sikkerhetssamarbeid.

Hun har vært ansatt i Politiets sikkerhetstjeneste siden 2004, hvor hun har hatt ulike roller innen kontraterror, ledelse, internasjonalt samarbeid og organisasjonsendring.

Aaser har en Cand. Polit. fra Universitetet i Oslo, fullført i 2003, med fordypning i internasjonal politikk og sikkerhetspolitikk, og en Cand. Mag. fra samme universitet fra 1999, med fordypning i arabisk språk, Midtøstenstudier og statsvitenskap. Videre har hun gjennomført videreutdanninger ved Forsvarets høyskole og Politihøgskole innen ledelse og etterretning.

Josefine Aaser has been the special envoy for justice and home affairs at Norway's delegation to the EU since October 2021, responsible for preparedness, resilience, counterterrorism, hybrid threats, and cybersecurity. Until July 2023, she divided her work between the EU delegation and Norway's delegation to NATO.

From 2013 to 2017, she was a special envoy at the EU delegation, responsible for security cooperation.

She has been employed at the Norwegian Police Security Service since 2004, where she has held various roles in counterterrorism, leadership, international cooperation, and organizational change.

Aaser holds a Cand. Polit. degree from the University of Oslo, completed in 2003, with a specialization in international politics and security policy, and a Cand. Mag. degree from the same university from 1999, with a specialization in Arabic language, Middle Eastern studies, and political science. Additionally, she has completed further education at the Norwegian Defence University College and the Norwegian Police University College in leadership and intelligence.

Han har tjenestegjort i Forsvarsdepartementet i Polen siden 2019. Tidligere jobbet han i forsvars- og internasjonal politikk-tenketanksektoren.

I 2019-2020 hadde han stillingen som spesialist i avdelingen for militære utenrikssaker i det polske forsvarsdepartementet, hvor han var ansvarlig for bilaterale forhold med Visegrad-gruppens land. Siden 2021 har han hatt stillingen som sjefsekspert i avdelingen for internasjonal sikkerhetspolitikk. Han arbeider med landene i det tidligere Sovjetunionen (med særlig vekt på Ukraina, Russland og Hviterussland) samt Østersjøen og Arktis.

(Denne teksten er oversatt fra engelsk til norsk ved hjelp av KI. Feil kan forekomme.)

He has served in the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland since 2019. He previously worked in the defence and international policy think tank sector. 

In 2019-2020 he held the position of specialist in the Military Foreign Affairs Department of the Polish MoD, being responsible for bilateral relations with the Visegrad Group countries. Since 2021, he has held the position of Chief Expert in the International Security Policy Department. He deals with the countries of the former USSR (with particular emphasis on Ukraine, Russia and Belarus) as well as the Baltic Sea and the Artic region. 

Mārtiņš Klīve, f. 11. august 1980,  er Latvias ambassadør til Kongeriket Norge og til Island. 

Han har mastergrad i juridiske studier fra Universitetet i Amsterdam og mastergrad i statsvitenskap fra Universitetet i Latvia.  

Han har tidligere tjenestegjort som direktør i EU-avdelingen i Utenriksdepartementet i Latvia, leder for avdelingens kontor for de faste representantene i EU (COREPER) og kontoret for Sør-Øst Europa. Han har vært nestleder for Latvias delegasjon til Europarådet i Strasbourg, leder for avdelingen for internasjonale organisasjoner og menneskerettigheter i Utenriksdepartementet i Riga og tredjesekretær ved Latvias delegasjon til FN, OSSE og andre organisasjoner i Genève.

Mārtiņš Klīve, born on August 11, 1980, is Latvia's ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway and to Iceland.

He holds a master's degree in legal studies from the University of Amsterdam and a master's degree in political science from the University of Latvia.

He has previously served as director of the EU department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, head of the department's office for the permanent representatives to the EU (COREPER) and the office for Southeast Europe. He has been deputy head of Latvia's delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, head of the department for international organizations and human rights in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riga, and third secretary at Latvia's delegation to the UN, OSCE, and other organizations in Geneva.

Piia Mathisen er Estlands ambassadør i Norge.

Før hun tiltrådte sin post i Oslo, arbeidet Piia Mathisen (født 1983) i kabinettet til presidenten for Det europeiske råd. Tidligere har hun blant annet vært rådgiver ved Estlands faste representasjon til EU, leder for avdelingen for felles utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk i Utenriksdepartementet, nestleder ved ambassaden i Ankara og saksbehandler i EU-avdelingen.

Ambassadør Mathisen har en bachelorgrad i fransk fra Universitetet i Tartu og en mastergrad i europeisk politikk fra University of Sussex.

Piia Mathisen is the ambassador of Estonia in Norway.

Before taking up her post in Oslo, Piia Mathisen (born 1983) worked in the cabinet of the President of the European Council. Her previous posts include counsellor in the Estonian Permanent Representation to the EU, head of CFSP division in the Foreign ministry, deputy head of mission in Ankara and desk officer in the EU department. 

Ambassador Mathisen has a BA degree in French from the University of Tartu and a MA in European politics from the University of Sussex.

Dr. Deividas Šlekys er førsteamanuensis ved Universitetet i Vilnius. Han har en MLitt. i krigsstudier fra Glasgow University og en PhD i statsvitenskap fra Universitetet i Vilnius. Hans ekspertise og interesseområder inkluderer internasjonal relasjonshistorie, sivilt-militære relasjoner, militær teori og historie. 

I 2015 publiserte han en bok, Litauisk militærtenkning og dens utvikling siden 1990. I 2013-2014 var han gjesteforsker i programmet Changing Character of War ved Oxford University. I 2020 var han Fulbright Visiting Scholar ved Harvard University. Han arbeider med boken Face of War og et felles litauisk, latvisk og taiwansk forskningsprosjekt, "Willingness to Defend". 

Han er forfatter av en rekke publikasjoner om litauisk forsvarspolitikk, væpnede styrker og militærtenkning. Forskeren samarbeider også tett med det litauiske forsvarsdepartementet og de væpnede styrkene om profesjonell militær utdanning og doktrinutviklingsprosjekter. Han er også kjent som en av de viktigste offentlige kommentatorene på forsvarsspørsmål i Litauen. Siden november 2023 har han vært medlem av det nasjonale forsvarsrådet, ledet av Litauens president.

Dr Deividas Šlekys is an associate professor at the Vilnius University. He holds MLitt. in War Studies, Glasgow University and PhD in political sciences from Vilnius University. 

Areas of expertise and interest include a history of international relations, civil-military relations, military theory and history. 

In 2015, he published a book, Lithuanian military thought and its evolution since 1990. During the 2013-2014 academic year, he was a visiting research fellow in the Changing Character of War programme at Oxford University. In 2020, he was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. 

He is working on the book Face of War and a joint Lithuanian, Latvian and Taiwanese research project, “Willingness to Defend”. He is an author of numerous publications about Lithuanian defence policy, armed forces and military thought. 

The researcher also works closely with the Lithuanian MoD and Armed Forces on professional military education and doctrinal development projects. He is also known as one of the major public commentators on the defence issues in Lithuania. Since November 2023, he has been a National Total Defence Coordination Council member chaired by the state’s President.

Stillinger

2023-: Lektor, Institut for strategi og krigsstudier, Forsvarakademiet

Forskningsprojekter:

• Nordisk forsvarssamarbejde
• Specialoperationer i Norden og Arktis
• Stormagtsrivalisering og proxykrig

2019-2023: Adjunkt, Institut for strategi og krigsstudier, Forsvarakademiet

Forskningsprojekter:

• Småstatsstrategi
• Specialoperationer
• Militære stabiliseringsoperationer

2018-2021: Politisk rådgiver, Combined Special Operations Component Command, NATO Reaction Force.

2014-2018: Underviser og ph.d. studerende, institut for Strategi, Forsvarsakademiet.
Gæsteforsker på Naval Postgraduate School, Defense Analysis Department, Monterey.

2009-2014: Underviser, Flyvevåbnets Officersskole.

Udvalgte udgivelser

(2025, redigeret med David Vestenskov) Militære stabliseringsindsatser: En introduction til koncept, erfa-ringer og fremtid. Odense: Syddansk Universitetsforlag.

(2024) Great power competition, proxy war and special operations forces i Kiras & Kitzen (red) Into the void: special operations forces after the war on terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(2024, med Peter Viggo Jakobsen) Success defying all expectations: How and why limited use of force helped to end Somali piracy, Journal of Strategic Studies, 47:2, 263–287.

(2023) The proliferation of security actors in the Sahel: the interplay between international regime complex-ity and local emergence in Mandrup & Vrey (red.): Security governance in Africa: responding to ungoverned African spaces: emergent thought, new spaces and responses, African Sun Press.

(2022) Small State Strategy in Practice: The Formulation and Execution of Danish Theories of Success in the United Nations Security Council, 2005–2006. Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies, 5(1), pp. 129–142.

(2022, med Christian Høj Hansen), Whose proxy war? The competition among Iranian foreign policy elites in Iraq, Small Wars & Insurgencies, 33:6, 973-998.

(2022) Western intervention and informal politics: simulated statebuilding and failed reforms. London: Routledge.

(2021) The crafting of alliance cohesion among insurgents: The case of al-Qaeda affiliated groups in the Sa-hel region, Contemporary Security Policy, 42:3, 371-390.

(2021) Frogmen and pirates: the utility of special operations forces for small states against for-profit, illicit networks, Defence Studies, 21:3, 292-311.

(2020, med Line Engbo Gissel) Non-Cooperation with the International Criminal Court in Gatekeeper States: Regime Security in Deby’s Chad, Cambridge Review of International Affairs.

(2019), Dare to Know: The Problem of Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Military Assistance Opera-tions, Special Operations Journal 5(2), 162-178.

Professional appointments

2023-: Associate professor, Institute for Strategy and War Studies, Royal Danish Defence College.

Research projects:

• Nordic Defence Cooperation
• Special operations in the Nordic Theatre
• Great power competition and proxy wars

2019-2023: Assistant professor, Institute for Strategy and War Studies, Royal Danish Defence College.

Research projects:

• The strategy of small states
• Special operations
• Military stabilization operations

2018-2021: Political advisor, Combined Special Operations Component Command, NATO Reaction Force.

2014-2018: Lecturer, Institute for Strategy and War Studies, Royal Danish Defence College.
Guest researcher at the Naval Postgraduate School, Defense Analysis Department, Monterey, 2016.

2009-2014: Lecturer, Royal Air Force Academy

Selected list of publications

(2025, edited together with David Vestenskov) Militære stabliseringsindsatser: En introduction til koncept,
erfaringer og fremtid. Odense: Syddansk Universitetsforlag.

(2024) Great power competition, proxy war and special operations forces in Kiras & Kitzen (eds) Into the
void: special operations forces after the war on terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(2024, with Peter Viggo Jakobsen) Success defying all expectations: How and why limited use of force
helped to end Somali piracy, Journal of Strategic Studies, 47:2, 263–287.

(2023) The proliferation of security actors in the Sahel: the interplay between international regime complexity
and local emergence in Mandrup & Vrey (eds.): Security governance in Africa: responding to ungoverned
African spaces: emergent thought, new spaces and responses, African Sun Press.

(2022) Small State Strategy in Practice: The Formulation and Execution of Danish Theories of Success in the
United Nations Security Council, 2005–2006. Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies, 5(1), pp. 129–142.

(2022, with Christian Høj Hansen), Whose proxy war? The competition among Iranian foreign policy elites
in Iraq, Small Wars & Insurgencies, 33:6, 973-998.

(2022) Western intervention and informal politics: simulated statebuilding and failed reforms. London: Routledge.

(2021) The crafting of alliance cohesion among insurgents: The case of al-Qaeda affiliated groups in the Sa-hel region, Contemporary Security Policy, 42:3, 371-390.

(2021) Frogmen and pirates: the utility of special operations forces for small states against for-profit, illicit networks, Defence Studies, 21:3, 292-311.

(2020, with Line Engbo Gissel) Non-Cooperation with the International Criminal Court in Gatekeeper States: Regime Security in Deby’s Chad, Cambridge Review of International Affairs.

(2019), Dare to Know: The Problem of Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Military Assistance Operations, Special Operations Journal 5(2), 162-178.

Present Assignment

2024 Defence Attaché at the embassy of Sweden in Oslo, Copenhagen and Reykjavik

Record of Service

2023-2024 Head of Strategic Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces Defence Staff
2022-2023 Head of section, Policy and Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces HQ
2017-2022 Commanding Officer, Life Regiment Hussars (Cavalry)
2016-2017 Project Manager, Policy and Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces HQ
2014-2016 Staff officer, Policy and Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces HQ
2013-2024 Aid-De-Camp to H.M. the King of Sweden
2009-2013 Battalion Commander, Military Academy Karlberg
2006-2009 Staff Officer, LCC, G5 Plans, Head Planner for the SWE Commitments in Afghanistan and Africa
2003-2004 Company Commander, 10th Armour Regiment
2000-2001 Teacher in tactics and operations National Defence College, National Defence College,
1994-1998 Platoon Leader, 13th Arctic Infantry Brigade
1990-1993 Instructor Rifle/Recon Platoon, 13th Arctic Infantry Brigade

Education/Courses

2004-2006 Command Course (LtCol), Swedish National Defence College
2005-2006 Staff College, Norwegian Armed Forces, Oslo
2004 Pre Command Course for Battalion Commanders
1999-2000 Staff Course (Maj), Swedish National Defence College
1997-1998 Infantry Officers Advanced Course, U.S Army, Fort Benning
1997 Pre Command Course for Company Commanders, Arctic Infantry School, Norwegian Army, Elverum
1995-96 Arctic Infantry Company Commanders Course (Cpt)
1992-93 Military Academy, Advanced Course (1st Lt)
1988-1990 Military Academy, Arctic Infantry/Cavalry (2nd Lt)

Promotions

2016 Colonel
2008 Lieutenant Colonel
2000 Major
1996 Captain
1993 First Lieutenant
1990 Second Lieutenant

Other Appointments

2009 Deputy Chief CJ3, Regional Command North HQ, ISAF Afghanistan
2002 Company Commander, SWEBAT, KFOR Kosovo
1993-1994 Rifle Platoon Leader, NORDBAT, UN Macedonia

Decorations

2023 Commander of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle (Estonia)
2022 Commander of the Order of Independence (Jordan)
2022 Commander of the Order of Oranien-Nassau (Netherlands)
2018 H.M. the King of Swedens Serafimer medal (8th grade)
2009 SWE Armed Forces International Service medal
2009 NATO Non-article 5 Service medal (ISAF)
2002 SWE Armed Forces International Service medal
2002 NATO Non-article 5 Service medal (KFOR)
1994 SWE Armed Forces International Service medal
1994 UN Service medal (UNPROFOR)
1988 SWE Armed Forces Conscript medal

Present Assignment

2024 Defence Attaché at the embassy of Sweden in Oslo, Copenhagen and Reykjavik

Record of Service

2023-2024 Head of Strategic Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces Defence Staff
2022-2023 Head of section, Policy and Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces HQ
2017-2022 Commanding Officer, Life Regiment Hussars (Cavalry)
2016-2017 Project Manager, Policy and Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces HQ
2014-2016 Staff officer, Policy and Plans Dpt, Swedish Armed Forces HQ
2013-2024 Aid-De-Camp to H.M. the King of Sweden
2009-2013 Battalion Commander, Military Academy Karlberg
2006-2009 Staff Officer, LCC, G5 Plans, Head Planner for the SWE Commitments in Afghanistan and Africa
2003-2004 Company Commander, 10th Armour Regiment
2000-2001 Teacher in tactics and operations National Defence College, National Defence College,
1994-1998 Platoon Leader, 13th Arctic Infantry Brigade
1990-1993 Instructor Rifle/Recon Platoon, 13th Arctic Infantry Brigade

Education/Courses

2004-2006 Command Course (LtCol), Swedish National Defence College
2005-2006 Staff College, Norwegian Armed Forces, Oslo
2004 Pre Command Course for Battalion Commanders
1999-2000 Staff Course (Maj), Swedish National Defence College
1997-1998 Infantry Officers Advanced Course, U.S Army, Fort Benning
1997 Pre Command Course for Company Commanders, Arctic Infantry School, Norwegian Army, Elverum
1995-96 Arctic Infantry Company Commanders Course (Cpt)
1992-93 Military Academy, Advanced Course (1st Lt)
1988-1990 Military Academy, Arctic Infantry/Cavalry (2nd Lt)

Promotions

2016 Colonel
2008 Lieutenant Colonel
2000 Major
1996 Captain
1993 First Lieutenant
1990 Second Lieutenant

Other Appointments

2009 Deputy Chief CJ3, Regional Command North HQ, ISAF Afghanistan
2002 Company Commander, SWEBAT, KFOR Kosovo
1993-1994 Rifle Platoon Leader, NORDBAT, UN Macedonia

Decorations

2023 Commander of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle (Estonia)
2022 Commander of the Order of Independence (Jordan)
2022 Commander of the Order of Oranien-Nassau (Netherlands)
2018 H.M. the King of Swedens Serafimer medal (8th grade)
2009 SWE Armed Forces International Service medal
2009 NATO Non-article 5 Service medal (ISAF)
2002 SWE Armed Forces International Service medal
2002 NATO Non-article 5 Service medal (KFOR)
1994 SWE Armed Forces International Service medal
1994 UN Service medal (UNPROFOR)
1988 SWE Armed Forces Conscript medal

Tidl. ambassadør Torbjørn Frøysnes er selvstendig næringsdrivende som rådgiver i samfunns- og næringslivsspørsmål, herunder for høynivåkonferanser og -møter. Han har tjenestegjort i den norske utenrikstjenesten i mer enn 40 år, og herunder vært Statssekretær i Utenriksdepartementet og sjef for utenriksministerens Sekretariat. Han var Norges ambassadør til Europarådet i Strasbourg 2003-2008 og EU-ambassadør for Europarådet i Brussel 2008-2017. Han var ambassadør og norsk sjefforhandler for handel med tjenester (GATS) i Verdens Handelsorganisasjon (WTO) 1999-2003, Minister ved ambassaden i Bonn 1995-1999 og arbeidet i mange år med sikkerhets- og samarbeidsspørsmål i øst-vestforhandlingene i KSSE.

Frøysnes har vært adm.dir. i norsk reiselivs markedsføringsorgan NORTRA, styreformann i Nordisk Turistråd og vise-president i Den europeiske reiselivskommisjonen (ETC). Han var norsk styrerepresentant i Den europeiske Travunioen (UET, Paris), styremedlem i det Norske Travselskap og i Norsk Rikstoto.

Han har skrevet artikler om politikk, diplomati, internasjonale spørsmål, travsport og spillspørsmål og medvirket i offentlige debatter og konferansevirksomhet. 

Ambassador (ret) Torbjørn Frøysnes is working as a consultant for public affairs, including programs for high-level conferances. He is a retired Ambassador who served for more than 40 years in the Norwegian diplomacy, last as Norway’s Ambassador to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 2003-2008 and Ambassador of the Council of Europe to the EU in Brussels, 2008-2017.

He is a former Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway and has been Chief of Cabinet to the Foreign Minister. He served as Norway’s Chief Negotiator and Ambassador for Trade in Services in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as Deputy Director General in the Trade Department of the MFA and has been a long-time negotiator on Security and Arms control in East-West relations. 

He has been the CEO of the Norwegian Tourist Board, Chairman of the Nordic Tourist Board and Vice President of the European Travel Commission (ETC). 

He has been member of the Board of the European Trotting Union (UET, Paris), of the National Trotting Association (DNT) of Norway and of Norsk Rikstoto, the Norwegian Betting Company for Horse Racing. 

He has written articles on politics, diplomacy, international affairs, horse racing and betting issues, and participated frequently in public debates and news.

2023 - nåværende: Sjef Heimevernet
Generalmajor

2018-2023: Nestkommanderende Hæren og Stabssjef Hærstaben
Brigader

2017-2018: Sjef Operasjonsseksjonen, O-avdelingen, Forsvarsstaben
Oberst

2014-2017: Fagsjef Manøver, Hærens Våpenskole
Oberst

2012-2014: Faculty advisor, USMC Command and Staff College
Oberstløytnant

2010-2011: Senior stabsoffiser, Forsvarsstabens Situasjonssenter
Oberstløytnant

2009-2010: Sjef OMLT III, (Bataljonssjefsmentor), Afghanistan
Oberstløytnant

2007-2009: Bataljonssjef, Panserbataljonen
Oberstløytnant

2006-2007: Stabsoffiser, Hærens transformasjons og doktrinekommando (TRADOK)
Major

2003-2004: Kompanisjef, TMTF I, ISAF
Major

2002-2004: Kompanisjef Telemark bataljon
Major

2001-2002: Stipendiat / Avdelingsforstander, Krigsskolen
Rittmester

2000-2001: Eskadronsjef, NORBN III, KFOR
Major (m)

1999-2000: Eskadronsjef, Panserbaraljonen, 6. Divisjon
Rittmester

1996-1997: Nestkommanderende Eskadron, Panserbataljonen, 6. Divisjon
Løytnant

1995-1996: Troppssjef, NORDPOL Brigade, IFOR
Rittmester (m)

1995-1995: Troppssjef, Norwegian Logistics Battalion, UNPROFOR
Rittmester (m)

1991-1995: Troppssjef og Admoff, Panserbataljonen, Brigaden i Nord-Norge
Løytnant

1988-1989: Troppssjef, Panserbataljonen, Brigaden i Nord-Norge
Fenrik

1987-1988: Lagfører / NK tropp, Panserbataljonen, Brigaden i Nord-Norge
Sersjant

Major General Frode Ommundsen assumed duties as Commander Norwegian Home Guard 12 June 2023. As an integral part of the position, MG Ommundsen has the territorial responsibility for parts Norway and commands 40 000 reservists and 500 active duty soldiers.

MG Frode Ommundsen started his service in the army in 1986 and was in 1991 commissioned as a cavalry officer. The following years he spent as a company grade officer at the platoon, company, and battalion staff level, serving in northern Norway with two deployments to Bosnia (UNPROFOR, IFOR).
Ommundsen graduated from the Military Academy advanced course in 1999 taking command of a mechanized company including a deployment to Kosovo (KFOR) in 2000. In 2002, he was promoted to major and was assigned to establish and take command of a mechanized company in the new high readiness battalion. The billet included deploying to Afghanistan (ISAF) providing security for the Constitutional Loya Jirga in 2003.

Ommundsen was promoted LTC in 2007, taking command of the Armour battalion, and deploying with parts of the battalion as an operational mentoring and liaison team (OMLT) in Afghanistan (ISAF) in 2010. Following this assignment Ommundsen served as the Army's lnfantry and Cavalry branch inspector as Colonel before assuming the position as Chief Operations Branch at the Defence Staff. Prior to taking command of the Home Guard, he served five years as Deputy Commander/Chief of staff of the Norwegian Army, at the rank of Brigadier General.

MG Ommundsen is a graduate of the Norwegian Military Academy in (1991), the Swedish National Defence University (2006), School of Advanced Warfighting, United States Marine Corps, Quantico (2012), NATO Defence College, Rome (2016) and Royal College of Defence Studies/Kings College, London (2020).

Gina Elisabeth Lund er jurist fra Universitetet i Oslo. Hun har bred ledererfaring fra offentlig forvaltning og styring av komplekse institusjoner, erfaring fra privat næringsliv, organisasjonsliv og politikk. 

Lund har arbeidet med internasjonale organisasjoner og med både operativt og strategisk beredskapsarbeid.  

Lund er Statsforvalter i Agder fra januar 2022.

Gina Elisabeth Lund is a lawyer from the University of Oslo. She has extensive leadership experience in public administration and the management of complex institutions, as well as experience in private business, organizational life, and politics. 

Lund has worked with international organizations and has been involved in both operational and strategic emergency preparedness. 

Lund has been the County Governor of Agder since January 2022

Erling Stausland bor i Kristiansand og er utdannet siviløkonom og har sitt daglige virke i Color Line. 

Han har vært formann i Kristiansand Militære Samfunn og i Kristiansand Forsvarsforening i 20 år og har engasjert seg sterkt i Forsvarssaken og i sikkerhetspolitikk og beredskap. Han er også medlem av Distriktsrådet for HV07.

Gjennom Kristiansand Militære Samfunn arrangerer han 5-8 foredragsaftener i året med ulike, aktuelle foredragsholdere som går på aktuelle forsvarsrelaterte temaer.

Erling Stausland lives in Kristiansand and is a graduate economist. He works daily at Color Line. 

He has been chairman of the Kristiansand Military Society and the Kristiansand Defense Association for 20 years and has been strongly engaged in defense issues, security policy, and emergency preparedness. He is also a member of the HV07 District Council.

Through the Kristiansand Military Society, he organizes 5-8 lecture evenings per year with various relevant speakers covering current defense-related topics.

Tord Lindelid tiltrådte som sjef for Agder heimevernsdistrikt i mars 2025.

Lindelid har en lang karriere fra Hæren. Han er utdannet ved Krigsskolen og Stabsskolen med påfølgende tjeneste ved Hærens manøverbataljoner, Hærens våpenskole og Hærstaben, samt utenlandsoperasjoner på Balkan og i Afghanistan. 

Tord har også arbeidet hos Statsforvalteren i Agder og i Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet (Nkom), hvor han har jobbet med totalforsvar, planverk og beredskap.

Tord Lindelid started as district commander for Agder Home Guard District in March 2025.

Lindelid has a long military career in the Army. He is a graduate of the Norwegian Military Academy and the Norwegian Defense University College with subsequent service in different maneuver battalions, the Army Warfare Center and the Army Staff. In addition, he has several tours in the Balkans and Afghanistan.

Tord has also worked in the Emergency Preparedness Staff at the County Governor of Agder and the Norwegian Communications Authority, where he had the responsibility for Total Defense planning.

Fylkesberedskapssjef hos Fylkesmannen i Agder og senere hos Statsforvalteren i Agder siden mai 2008. 

Før dette 21 år i Forsvaret. Utdannet ved Sjøkrigsskolen. Har tjenestebakgrunn fra fort, skoleavdeling, hovedkvarter og fra Forsvarsdepartementet. Har gått strategisk krisehåndteringskurs og informasjonskurset ved Forsvarets høgskole.

County Head of Emergency Preparedness from May 2008. Educated at the Naval War Academy; 21 years of services in the Defense Forces, including at a fort, education department, HQ and the Ministry of Defense. Passed the Strategic Crises Management and Information Courses at the Norwegian Defense University.

Dag Svindseth er Sivilforsvaret distriktssjef for Aust-Agder sivilforsvarsdistrikt.

Svindseth har tidligere 18 års operativ tjeneste i Hærens Samband og 7 år som brannsjef i Østre Agder brannvesen, før stilling som distriktssjef i Sivilforsvaret. 

Utdannet med mastergrad fra universitetet i Tromsø, Krigsskole I og Krigsskole II samt lederutdanning på Norges brannskole.

Dag Svindseth, Civil Defence district commander. 

Previous operational career for 18 years in the Norwegian Army and 7 years as Chief of fire in Østre Agder fire department, before entering Norwegian civil defence. 

Master's degree from the Arctic University of Tromsø, 4 years in the Norwegian Military academy and educated at the Norwegian Fire Academy.

Tom Smellror jobber som konsulent gjennom firmaet CMConsulting. Han er en pensjonert oberst fra Luftforsvaret hvor han har tjenestegjort i mer enn 40 år, sist som seksjonsleder for NATOs internasjonale militære stab, Militær samarbeidsseksjon - øst.

Han har lang erfaring fra operativ virksomhet i Luftforsvaret. Smellror har i de første 20 år av sin karriere vært knyttet til P-3 Orion og aktiviteter knyttet til dette flyet. Tjenesten har inkludert stillinger som skvadronsjef, gruppesjef og stasjonssjef.

I en beordring til NATOs atlanterhavskommando (SACLANT) i Norfolk, Virginia, var Smellror atlanterhavskommandoens representant i arbeidet med å utvikle krisehåndteringsøvelser for NATOs råd. Han var dermed også SACLANTs representant i "Council Operations and Exercises Committy” (COEC) når krisehåndteringsøvelser var på agendaen. 

Tilbake til Norge fikk Smellror ansvaret for situasjonssenteret i Forsvarsdepartementet. I denne kapasiteten var han også ansvarlig for krisehåndteringsøvelser og var ved flere anledninger departementsrådens rådgiver i Regjeringens kriseråd. Han var også medlem av det regjeringsoppnevnte Sikkerhetsrådet for luftfarten og formann i NORDCAPS, et nordisk operativt forsvarssamarbeid.

Etter tjenesten i Forsvarsdepartementet gikk veien videre til Forsvarets operative hovedkvarter hvor operativ flyvirksomhet og drift av hovedkvarteret var hovedfokusområder. 

Smellror ble videre beordret til NATOs hovedkvarter i Brussel hvor han var ansvarlig for militært samarbeid med bl.a. Russland og Ukraina. I den kapasiteten var han også medlem av flere av NATOs komiteer.

Smellror har flere nasjonale og internasjonale utmerkelser og har tjenestegjort i Afghanistan og Irak.

Tom Smellror works as a consultant through the company CMConsulting. He is a retired colonel from the Air Force, where he served for more than 40 years, most recently as the section leader for NATO's international military staff, Military Cooperation Section - East. 

He has extensive experience from operational activities in the Air Force. Smellror spent the first 20 years of his career associated with the P-3 Orion and activities related to this aircraft. His service included positions as squadron commander, group commander, and station commander. 

During an assignment to NATO's Atlantic Command (SACLANT) in Norfolk, Virginia, Smellror was the Atlantic Command's representative in the work of developing crisis management exercises for NATO's council. He was also SACLANT's representative in the "Council Operations and Exercises Committee" (COEC) when crisis management exercises were on the agenda. 

Back in Norway, Smellror was responsible for the situation center in the Ministry of Defense. In this capacity, he was also responsible for crisis management exercises and was on several occasions the advisor to the Secretary General in the Government's Cr isis Council. He was also a member of the government-appointed Security Council for aviation and chairman of NORDCAPS, a Nordic operational defense cooperation. 

After his service in the Ministry of Defense, he moved on to the Armed Forces' operational headquarters, where operational aviation activities and the operation of the headquarters were the focus areas. 

Smellror was later assigned to NATO's headquarters in Brussels, where he was responsible for military cooperation with, among others, Russia and Ukraine. In this capacity, he was also a member of several of NATO's committees.

Smellror has received several national and international awards and has served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Torbjørn Urfjell er avdelingsdirektør for samfunn og arena i Kulturdirektoratet, siden 2021. Før det var han direktør for kultur og innbyggerdialog i Kristiansand kommune. Han var ansvarlig for virksomhetens høringsuttalelse som bidro til inkludering av kultur i totalberedskapsmeldingen: Forberedt på krise og krig. 

Torbjørn Urfjell is head of Department and Places, Heritage and Diversity in Arts and Culture Norway since 2021. Prior to that, he was the Director of Culture and Citizen dialogue in The municipality of Kristiansand. Urfjell delivered the consultation response leading to the inclusion of culture into the white paper on total preparedness: Prepared for crisis and war.