On 29 January 2009 in Reykjavik, Iceland, Lieutenant General Wolf-Dieter Loeser, NDC Commandant, addressed the NATO Seminar “Security Prospects in the High North” convened jointly by the Government of Iceland and the College.
The Commandant’s remarks followed those of Mr. Geir Haarde, Prime Minister of Iceland, and H.E. Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO Secretary General. The audience included Ministers from several Allied nations as well as Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General John Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and General James Mattis, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
Lieutenant General Loeser stressed the global nature of the opportunities and challenges presented in the High North including climate change and, in the context of energy security, the growing interest in the potentially huge petroleum and gas resources of the region. Participants were also informed of the College’s ongoing research on NATO’s evolving role in the High North.
The Commandant concluded his address by emphasizing that while military vigilance will remain a feature of safeguarding Allied interests in the High North, NATO and the NATO Defense College have a critical role to play in the equally important task of engendering friendship in the region through dialogue and education.
NDC PAO
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN