All five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden participate in the Nordic defence cooperation. The one-year chairmanship rotates among the countries (except for Iceland). In 2019, Sweden held the chair. In 2021, the chair will be passed on to Finland.

"We need a strong Nordic defence cooperation. In increasingly uncertain times, we must move closer together. It is my aim during the Danish chairmanship to strengthen NORDEFCO even further, especially in the area of cyber security. The Nordic Countries share many common views. We should use that to achieve results – also in the area of defence”, says the Danish defence minister Trine Bramsen.

 
The Danish chairmanship priorities include:

  • Enhance Nordic-Transatlantic relations further as well as the cooperation and dialogue with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 
  • Develop knowledge and explore possibilities for cooperation within the area of cyber security with the aim to improve our resilience against dangers from growing cyber threats. 
  • Share information and discuss approaches to promote green defence. A particular focus area will be to explore reduction of the carbon footprint in deployments. 
  • Continue to strengthen NORDEFCO as a forum for political and military dialogue on security and defence with enhanced focus on the Arctic. 
  • Continue to improve our ability to act together in peace, crisis and conflict. 
  • Consolidate the newly established mechanism for crisis consultations. 
  • Explore possibilities for Nordic armaments and defence industry cooperation inherent in the European Defence fund as well as other relevant forums and instruments. The Nordic Defence Industry Seminar 2020 will serve as a platform to promote dialogue.

 
Furthermore, the Danish chairmanship will consolidate and further develop on-going cooperation and action plans.

Read this article in Danish

Read more about the Danish NORDEFCO chairmanship here