The Oscarsborg Symposium: An Exclusive Forum for Strengthening Nordic Cooperation and Security Understanding
Held by invitation only, the Oscarsborg Symposium provides an exclusive and neutral forum under the Chatham House Rule, bringing together leading decision-makers and experts from both the public and private sectors, supported by distinguished scholars. Participants engage in discussions on shared Nordic security and preparedness challenges with the aim of developing a stronger common understanding of the issues at stake.
In light of the deteriorating geopolitical situation in the Nordic region, the Oscarsborg Symposium seeks to identify and share important experiences and lessons in defense and preparedness, fostering mutual understanding across the Nordic countries. The Symposium promote learning from the diverse practical approaches to preparedness and defense that are being developed across the Nordic region as well as explores normative and conceptual perspectives which can affect mutual understandings.
The Oscarsborg Symposium takes place at the historic Oscarsborg Fortress in the Oslo Fjord. The event is made possible through the generous support of the Sat Sapienti Foundation.
The 2026 Symposium: Private Businesses in Defense and Societal Preparedness
The 2026 Oscarsborg Symposium will be held on 1-2 October 2026. The symposium aims to draw out important experiences and lessons on state-business cooperation in defense and preparedness, supporting greater mutual understanding across the Nordic region. Private businesses play an essential role in establishing and maintaining effective defense and societal preparedness across the Nordic countries. At the same time, both the scope and form of government approaches to cooperation with businesses vary between Nordic countries and across different economic sectors.
From a business perspective, these varying approaches create both opportunities and risks within an evolving security economy: an economy in which economic activity is increasingly integrated with strategic security objectives and measures.
Bringing together leading decision-makers, experts, business representatives, and scholars, the symposium will explore how governments and private actors can strengthen cooperation in support of national and regional resilience. Discussions will examine similarities and differences in Nordic approaches, identify lessons across sectors and countries, and assess the implications for future collaboration.
The symposium will conclude with reflections on what existing cross-country and cross-sectoral lessons mean in practical terms for enhanced Nordic cooperation on defense and societal preparedness.
The 2025 Symposium: Communicating for war and countering disinformation
While the Nordic countries face many of the same national security challenges, their approaches to public communication on rising war risks and the need for preparedness differ in important ways. For example, public information campaigns and preparedness guidance have taken different forms across the region. Similarly, the Nordic countries vary in how they address disinformation aimed at undermining defense efforts, national security, and public trust.
Recognizing these differences, the 2025 Oscarsborg Symposium focused on two critical communication challenges related to preparing populations for the evolving security situation in the Nordic region. First, the symposium examined how Nordic countries communicate with the public to raise awareness of increasing war risks and strengthen preparedness. Second, it explored how governments and other stakeholders counter disinformation targeting Nordic cooperation, cohesion, defense, and national security. Throughout the discussions, a central theme was the identification of key similarities and differences that matter when seeking to strengthen Nordic cooperation on defense, security, and preparedness.
Background
The Symposium complements the range of projects that PRIO conducts on Nordic security. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a significant turning point for Nordic security. The war led Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership, and with their subsequent accession to the Alliance, the Nordic countries now face new opportunities and responsibilities in developing more coordinated defense and military strategies. The invasion also elevated societal security and preparedness to the top of political agendas across the Nordic region. As governments revisited and strengthened concepts such as total defense, comprehensive security, and total preparedness, it became clear that effective responses to evolving security challenges require coordination across society. This involves a broad range of actors, including political leaders, civilian and military authorities, the media, the private sector, and the general public. Strengthening defense and preparedness depends not only on military capabilities, but also on the ability of these actors to develop shared understandings of security threats and align their responses to them.
Through its research, PRIO contributes to a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with strengthening Nordic cooperation on defense, security, and societal preparedness in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
