Strengthening the maritime defense and preparedness
The GCE Blue Maritime Cluster recently hosted a full-day seminar on "Maritime defense and preparedness." The event brought together industry leaders, defense experts, and policymakers to discuss the crucial role of our maritime cluster in enhancing national security, aligning with the New Norwegian Long-Term Defense Plan presented earlier this year.
The Norwegian maritime industry plays a crucial role in enhancing Norway's defense capabilities. With its comprehensive and globally leading value chain, the Norwegian maritime cluster possesses extensive expertise in constructing, equipping, maintaining, and operating the naval vessels essential for Norway and NATO. This places the cluster in a unique position to provide support for both national and international defense operations.
Strategic Positioning and Collaboration
The event explored how the Norwegian maritime cluster can strategically position itself, prepare for, and take a leading role in close collaboration with the Norwegian Armed Forces. This approach responds to the increased defense investments by harnessing the cluster's unique expertise and capabilities. Participants gained deep insights into the defense market, supported by experiences from leading companies and external experts.
Key speakers included Elise Fiske from Maritimt Forum Nordvest, Hårek Elvenes from the Conservative Party, Knut Tore Otterlei from the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Sebastian Vincent and Andreas Werner, from Onsagers . The event also featured presentations on cluster collaboration within the defense segment, with insights from industry leaders such as VARD, Kongsberg, and Maritime Robotics.
Importance of Collaboration
The event highlighted the critical importance of strong collaboration within the maritime cluster, with the Norwegian Defence Forces, and with policymakers. This cooperation is essential for collectively strengthening Norway's defense and responding effectively to the new Long-Term Defense Plan. A key takeaway from the discussions was the recognition that our maritime industry possesses both the expertise and capacity to make significant contributions to national defense.