The High North is reemerging as a key arena of strategic competition, where NATO, Russia, and China are navigating an increasingly volatile security landscape. Russia’s evolving nuclear doctrine and growing use of grey-zone tactics are challenging long-held assumptions about deterrence thresholds and escalation risks. Meanwhile, the erosion of traditional stabilisation measures and rapid technological change are making Cold War-era deterrence frameworks increasingly unfit for purpose.

In response to these shifting dynamics, this series—led by Professor Mats Berdal and Professor Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer at King’s—aims to build capacity among NATO allies and generate new insights into the deterrence challenges facing the High North in the coming decade. Through a series of high-level seminars, we bring together leading experts from the US, UK, and Nordic NATO countries to exchange perspectives, foster collaboration, and develop evidence-based approaches to today’s most pressing strategic questions.