Nordic Nations Need NATO

Posted: November 30th, 2016

By Sigurd Neubauer

Sigurd Neubauer is a senior analyst at SOS International, a U.S. defense consultancy, and a Non-Resident Fellow at Gulf International Forum. His expertise includes U.S. policy towards the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf region, including: Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Yemen; Persian Gulf security; inter-GCC dynamics; Arab-Israeli relations; NATO and transatlantic security. His work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including The Cipher Brief. Neubauer received his B.A. and M.A. from Yeshiva University in New York. Follow him on Twitter @SigiMideast..

The Nordic countries – in particular Sweden, Finland, and Norway – are bolstering defense relations with the United States at a time when Russia had taken a more aggressive stance in Europe. In June, Sweden signed a defense agreement with the U.S., and four months later Finland and the U.S. signed a similar pact. Sigurd Neubauer, a senior analyst at a U.S. defense consultancy, writes Norway is hosting U.S. marines in January 2017 as part of the Black Sea Rotational Force. Neubauer, who is originally from Norway, spoke with The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder about Scandinavia’s relations with the U.S., NATO, and Russia.

The Cipher Brief: Is the observation that Norway, Sweden, and Finland are increasing defense cooperation with the U.S. accurate? And, if so, why are these countries strengthening ties?

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by formers.” —Sept. 2018, Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 62

Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Subscriber+