The Baltic Sea after NATO Enlargement and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Dr. Sebastian Bruns is Senior Researcher at ISPK´s Center for Maritime Strategy & Security (CMSS). His research interests include seapower, naval strategy, maritime security, naval history, and transatlantic relations. As CMSS’ founding father, from 2016-2021 he developed such formats as the Kiel International Seapower Symposium (KISS), the Baltic Sea Strategy Forum (BSSF), the “Dreizack” workshop, and the ISPK Seapower Series (NOMOS). From 2021-2022, while on unpaid leave, Dr. Bruns served as the inaugural John McCain-Fulbright Distinguished Visiting Professor at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He holds a PhD in Political Science (University of Kiel, 2014) and an MA in North American Studies (University of Bonn, 2007). As a German Marshall Fund/American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow awardee, Sebastian served Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) as legislative aide in the 112th U.S. Congress (2010-2011) in Washington, D.C., handling the Congressman’s defense and military policy. As the only non-American citizen, he was selected to contribute to a U.S. Navy research series on naval history and strategy (2016).

Dr. Bruns is the author/editor of seven books and numerous other publications. He is an avid fan of VfL Wolfsburg soccer, “The Simpsons”, road biking, and the epic music of Dire Straits.

Matti Pesu is a Leading Researcher in the Finnish foreign policy, Northern European security, and NATO research programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA). From May 2022 to April 2023, he leads a research project analyzing Finland’s nascent NATO policy and the country’s evolving role in Euro-Atlantic security. Since the beginning of 2023, Pesu has been leading FIIA’s Nordic network.

Pesu has worked at FIIA since 2017 as a Visiting Fellow, Research Fellow, and Senior Research Fellow. He has also worked at Tampere University, the European Commission, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. In 2012–2018, he was actively involved in the leading Finnish online magazine on international politics, The Ulkopolitist¸ most recently as a Managing Editor.

He has published extensively on Finnish foreign, security, and defence policy, defence cooperation, Baltic Sea security, and Euro-Atlantic security. Pesu’s writing has appeared in publications such as War on the Rocks, the National Interest, and Diplomacy & Statecraft. He is a frequent commentator on Finnish and Northern European security matters, and, in addition to the Finnish and Nordic media, he has provided analysis for the Wall Street Journal, BBC, Newsweek, Reuters, and the Associated Press, among others.

Pesu completed his PhD on the role of ideas in Finnish foreign policy at Tampere University in 2019.

James H. Bergeron assumed duties as Political Advisor to Commander, Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, United Kingdom on 1 September 2013 . Previously the POLAD to Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO from July 2005 as a member of the US Government Service, he is considered to be one of NATO's most experienced foreign policy advisors in the fields of maritime and joint expeditionary operations. He has served as POLAD in eighteen US and NATO exercises; as POLAD to the NATO Response Force exercise Steadfast Jaguar in Cape Verde and NATO Riga Summit mission in 2006; in a national capacity as POLAD to EUCOM Commander Joint Task Force Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict; to Commander US Naval Forces Europe during the August 2008 Russia-Georgia Conflict and as POLAD to STRIKFORNATO for four Baltic Host and two BALTOPs exercises to reassure Allies of NATO solidarity. From March until July 2011 he served as the Political Advisor to NATO's CJTF Operation Unified Protector in support of UNSCR 1973 operations in Libya. He is regularly consulted on NATO maritime strategy, transformational issues and NATO-EU relations, and was one of the drafters of the Alliance Maritime Strategy. Prior to his appointment in Naples, Mr. Bergeron served as EUINATO Policy Advisor on the Staff of Commander, US Naval Forces Europe, London.

Professor Bergeron entered the US government service following a career in academia. He holds a BA in History and English Literature from the University of the State of New York, MA in Political Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the College of Law at Syracuse University and Master of Laws in European Union Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, as a British Foreign and Commonwealth Scholar. Following completion of the LL.M. in 1991, Mr. Bergeron joined the Faculty of Law at University College Dublin, Ireland, where he specialized in European Union law, European affairs, comparative antitrust, international law and jurisprudence. From 1991-2000 he held visiting appointments at the Nicolas Copernicus University, Torun, Jageillonian University, Krakow, Riga Graduate School of Law; Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Spain and S1. John's University College of Law, New York. In 1993 he developed the draft Estonian Code of Military Justice under the US European Command's military-to-military contacts program. Under the auspices of the European Commission he assisted in the revision of the Latvian Constitution from 1998-9 and training of Hungarian public prosecutors in EU law from 1999-2000. He served briefly on the Forward Studies Unit of the President of the European Commission.

His connections to the naval life are oflong standing. Mr. Bergeron entered the United States Navy in 1976. After two years of nuclear propulsion training, he served as a reactor operator onboard USS ULYSSES S. GRANT (SSBN 631) and USS HOUSTON (SSN 713) in Newport News, Virginia. In July 1982 he reported to Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Upon commissioning as an officer and completion of submarine and Poseidon missile schools, he served on USS GEORGE C. MARSHALL (SSBN 654) as Assistant Weapons Officer. This was followed by twenty-one years in the US Navy Reserve, supporting US Naval Forces Europe, US Embassy Dublin and Allied Forces Southern Command in the areas of politico-military analysis and advice, partnership engagement and security cooperation. Commander Bergeron retired from the Navy Reserve in October 2007.

Jim Bergeron has published several articles and book chapters on legal, political and international security topics, and is the editor, with Peter Fitzpatrick, of Europe's Other: European Law from Modernity to Post-Modernity (Ashgate 1998). He has spoken at numerous institutions, defense colleges, universities and think tanks including the Center for Naval Analysis, Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, Chatham House, NATO Defense College, Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, RUSI, Institute for International Affairs (IA!) Rome, National Defense University, Wilton Park and the Maritime Warfare School Halifax. He has had a long involvement with the American Bar Association, and currently serves as the ABA liaison to NATO, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Personal decorations include the Meritorious and Superior Civilian Service Medals, Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, NATO Libya Medal and the Golden Badge of the Estonian Ministry of Defence. Interests include naval history, art, early music, political theory, and military strategy.

Cdr. Anders Puck Nielsen, military analyst at Royal Danish Defence College

Christian Bueger is Professor of International Relations with a research focus on global governance and international organisation, the oceans and maritime security, international relations theory (in particular practice theory and international political sociology) as well as sociology of expertise.

In his current work Christian Bueger is studying political responses to maritime insecurity and the knowledge, resources, and technologies required to govern the oceans. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Seychelles, a research fellow at the University of Stellenbosch and a honorary fellow at Cardiff University. He is also one of the directors of the SafeSeas network of maritime security research.

Christian Bueger holds a PhD from the European University Institute (2010). Before joining Copenhagen in 2018 he was a professor at Cardiff University and visiting fellow at the National University of Singapore, the University of Stellenbosch, and a Leverhulme Fellow at the Greenwich Maritime Institute.

He is currently involved in three larger research projects. The 'Transnational Organised Crime at Sea' (TOCAS) project, funded by Research Council UK is led by the University of Bristol and studies blue crimes in the Indo-Pacific (2019-2022). He is the principal investigator of the 'Analyzing Maritime Insecurity in Ghana' (AMARIS) project funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2020-2023). Since 2022 he leads the Ocean Infrastructures research group funded by the Velux Foundation.

Further information on activities and ongoing research projects is available on Christian Bueger's Personal website.

Arda Karakaya, NATO HQ

Mr. Niklas Granholm is Deputy Director of studies at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, at the agency’s department for security policy. He has been seconded to the Swedish Foreign- and Defence Ministries, focusing on European defence and security related issues. Fields of analysis and studies relate to geostrategic change in the Arctic, naval and maritime strategy, Nordic, transatlantic, European security and defence policy, space policy, nuclear strategic development and peace support/crisis management operations.

He is a fellow and board member of the Royal Swedish Society for Naval Sciences (KÖMS), fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (KkrVA), board member of the Swedish Commission on Military History (CSHM) and an Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. A Graduate from Stockholm University, he also holds a commission in the Amphibious Corps reserve, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Andreas Hörnedal, a Deputy Research Director at FOI’s Division of Defence Technology, specialises in technical and operations analysis of air defence and the air domain, using both operations research and modelling and simulation methods. Andreas recent work includes system assessment of integrated air and missile defence, manned and unmanned systems. He has been co-chair and a contributor to the NATO STO research task group SAS-147 Analysis of Anti-Access/Area Denial. He holds a Master of Science in vehicular engineering and has both a scientific and industrial career background, in product development and modelling and simulation.

Julian Pawlak is research associate at the Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (HSU) and the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS), the think tank of the German Armed Forces. He is also academic coordinator of the university’s interdisciplinary Research Network Maritime Security (iFMS), a cooperation to foster the Federal Ministry of Defense’s strategic foresight and support the strategy formulation process.

Julian´s research focuses on questions pertaining to security and defense policy, maritime strategy and security, and strategic studies – notably at NATO´s Northern and Eastern flank and the Baltic Sea region. For his PhD project, he studies security strategies in Northern and Eastern Europe. Julian and his expertise are also featured frequently by national and international media around the globe, from i.a. The New York Times, The Times, El País, Foreign Policy, FAZ, SPIEGEL, WIRED, and Al Jazeera English to ABC Radio National Australia and Radio New Zealand.

Prior to joining the HSU, Julian was research associate and project manager for the Baltic Sea Strategy Fora at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University (ISPK) and its adjunct Center for Maritime Strategy & Security. He studied Political Science, Sociology, International Politics and International Law in Osnabrück, Kraków, and Kiel.

Rasmus Dahlberg is an Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College’s Institute for Strategy and War Studies where he heads the recently formed Center for Societal Security. He holds a PhD in Disaster Research and has published extensively on resilience theory, civil-military cooperation and coast guard activities. Currently also acting director of the Center for Arctic Security Studies.

Commander Laanemets was born in 1981 in Tallinn. He was conscripted in 2000, trained as a yeoman, and served on patrol craft Suurop. He was selected to attend the Royal Danish Naval Academy, which he graduated in 2006 as a warfare branch officer.

His initial assignments include Navigation and Communications Officer on minehunter Sulev, deployed to Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) in 2006, and on command and support vessel Admiral Pitka. Thereafter Commander Laanemets served as staff officer operations in the Naval Staff’s operations department.

After Mine Warfare Officer’s course at HMS Collingwood, UK Commander Laanemets was assigned to minehunter Admiral Cowan as XO and deployed to SNMCMG1 in 2010. The same year he attended the Advanced Mine Warfare Officer’s course at Netherlands-Belgian Mine Warfare School EGuerMin.

Commander Laanemets was the first Estonian officer to attend International Principle Warfare Officer’s Course at HMS Collingwood, UK, followed by practical sea time onboard US frigate Taylor deployed to the Indian Ocean for Counter-Piracy Operation Ocean Shield.

From 2012, he was assigned to Naval Training Establishment to pass on his knowledge and experience to officer cadets in the newly started Estonian naval officer education course at Estonian Military Academy.

Commander Laanemets commanded minehunter Sakala 2015-2016, again deployed to SNMCMG1 in 2016. Thereafter, he served as the acting head of Naval Training Establishment and in 2018 as Chief of Staff of SNMCMG1.

After graduating from Joint Command and General Staff Course at the Baltic Defence College in 2019, he served as J3 5 staff officer at the Estonian Defence Forces HQ.

Commander Laanemets holds MSc in Maritime Studies from Tallinn Technical University and a professional master’s degree in Military Leadership and Security from the National Defence Academy of Latvia. He is married to Sigrid, has three children and a dog. His hobbies include reading and running.

Commander Goeran Swistek, German Navy, is a Visiting Fellow in the International Security Division of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). He was previously Assistant Chief of Staff N3 (Current Operations) on the German Maritime Forces Staff (DEU MARFOR) and communications advisor to the Chief and Deputy Chief of the German Navy. Prior to that he had worked at STRIKEFORNATO HQ, where he was part of Nato Defence Planning and for more than 2 years the officer with primary responsibility for the planning and execution of the major naval exercise BALTOPS. In his early career he went through the training, ranks and appointments on board German Fast Patrol Boats, including the position as commanding officer. He is also a trained intelligence officer and analyst. He joined the German Navy 26 years ago.

Commander Swistek holds a master’s degree in International Security Studies, one in Political Science and International Relations and another one in Leadership and Management. Commander Swistek also participated in various post-graduate academic programs, like in peace and conflict research, terrorism, maritime security and advanced security policy. He is a graduate of the Baltic Defence College and passed the Higher Command Course.

His areas of expertise include the German Armed Forces, International Security and Defence Policy, Maritime Forces and Navies, Maritime Security, NATO and Defence Planning, and Security Policy in the Baltic Sea Region.

Recent publications: https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/researcher/goeran-swistek.

RADM Henrik Ryberg, Chief of the Danish Navy

Ewa Skoog Haslum began her career in 1987 as a radio telegraphist on board HSwMS Stockholm. She was commissioned as an naval officer in the 2nd Surface Warfare Flotilla in 1990 with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant (fänrik). She was promoted to sub-lieutenant (löjtnant) there in 1993 and to lieutenant (kapten) in 1995

In 2007 she commanded the corvette HSwMS Sundsvall in the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force (MTF) Lebanon.

From 2010 to 2017, Skoog Haslum served one month a year as Aide-de-camp to Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and was awarded the H.M. The King´s medal in 2015.

Skoog Haslum was employed by the Swedish Defence University from 1 December 2016 and became the new vice-chancellor of the university in early 2017. She then came together with the chancellor to lead the Swedish Defence University's development of education, not least with regard to future officer training. The vice-chancellor is the Swedish Defence University's highest military representative and advises the chancellor. The vice-chancellor has an important role in the development of the university and is also responsible for collaboration with foreign defense colleges and other international partners in the military field. The vice-chancellor also acts as exercise leader in major exercises. In conjunction with the appointment, Skoog Haslum was promoted to rear admiral (lower half).

She was appointed Chief of Navy in late 2019 and holds the position since 1 February 2020. At the same time she was promoted to rear admiral.

Since October 2022, Dr. habil. Patricia Schneider is the Political Advisor (POLAD) of the Chief of the German Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack. She joined the German Armed Forces as Senior Civil Servant and works at the German Navy Headquarters in Rostock. Her role is to advise, support and network for Navy causes. She acts as a facilitator to advance understanding of maritime security issues with other stakeholders. Her tasks include drawing up lines of communication that have an impact both internally and externally. She is political scientist and Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH).