The Second Annual Gauntlet Seminar

Canada’s April 2024 defence policy update identifies asserting sovereignty in the Arctic as the most urgent and important task due to changing physical and geopolitical landscapes that have created new threats and vulnerabilities. Canada is committed to increasing its military presence in the Arctic and working cooperatively with partners. Similarly, Norway prioritizes partnering with allies to achieve its Arctic policy goals focused on security, stability, and interest-based cooperation. Key questions include what lessons allies and partners can learn from diverse experiences during intensifying great power rivalry, how strategic competition impacts governments' ability to implement policies in a rapidly changing environment, and how allies can better coordinate messaging to deter hybrid warfare and conflict escalation.


Schedule

 

8:30 AM: Registration and light breakfast.

9:00 AM: Welcoming Remarks

Mr. Trygve Bendiksby, Head of Mission, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Ottawa.

Mr. Don Dransfield, grandson of Howard Dransfield, Royal Canadian Engineers, Operation Gauntlet.

9:10 AM – Keynote Presentations:

Rear Admiral Ole Morten Sandquist

Norwegian Defence Attaché Designate to Canada.

Dr. Kerry-Lynn Nankivell

Director, NATO and Europe, Department of National Defence, Canada.

Moderator: Dr. Marc Lanteigne (Professor, Political Science, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway).

10:30 AM: Networking Break and Refreshments.

10:45 AM – Expert Perspectives Panel Discussion:

Speakers:

  • Mr. Mathieu Bussières (Director, NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence).
  • Dr. Marc Lanteigne (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway).
  • Dr. Pål Wilter Skedsmo (Research Director, Marine and Polar Issues, Fridtjof Nansen Institute).
  • Capt(N) Øystein Storebø (Program Director Submarines, Norwegian Ministry of Defense).

Moderator: Ms. Melissa Jennings (Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Defence and Security Network).

12:00 PM: Lunch.

7:15 PM: Dinner (optional).

Location: Rabbit Hole, 208 Sparks Street.
 

Focus Topics

  • Canada's defense policy prioritizing Arctic sovereignty.
  • Norway's Arctic policy goals emphasizing security, stability, and cooperation.
  • Strategic collaboration between Norway and Canada, including defense spending commitments.
  • Lessons from Operation Gauntlet (1941) as inspiration for modern policy.

Key Discussion Questions

  • How to coordinate messaging to deter hybrid warfare?
  • Strategies for adapting policies amidst shifting geopolitical landscapes.
  • What Canada can learn from Norway about informing citizens on defense and security issues.

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The Gauntlet Seminar is named after Operation GAUNTLET in 1941, a Norwegian, Canadian, and British collaboration. Canadian Brigadier Arthur Potts led this successful but little-known operation in the Svalbard archipelago. Following extensive planning and political dialogue among Allied civil and military authorities, the mission was re-scaled to include destroying mining and communication infrastructure, repatriating Russian miners and their families, and evacuating Norwegian residents to Britain. Although non-combat in nature, Operation GAUNTLET marked Canada’s first expeditionary operation in the Arctic.

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The event is organized by:

  • The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa
  • North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN)

In Partnership With:

  • The Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI)