SPEAKERS | NADIC

H.E. Anniken R. Krutnes

Ambassador of Norway to the United States

Ambassador Anniken Krutnes serves as Norway’s Ambassador to the United States, a position she has held since March 2020. An expert in security policy, law of the sea and Arctic issues, Amb. Krutnes has served with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1994. In her previous position with the Ministry, she served as Deputy Director General of the Department of Security Policy. Before that, she was Norway’s Ambassador for Arctic and Antarctic Affairs.

Ms. Anne Marie Aanerud

Deputy Defence Minister, Norwegian Ministry of Defence

Ms. Anne Marie Aanerud serves as the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence with special focus on defense industry. Ms. Aanerud has worked as State Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, as well as in several other advisory positions in the Norwegian parliament and the Norwegian Military. She holds valuable experience from the inner workings of the Norwegian government and defence. Ms. Aanerud has an international educational background with a focus on peace and security politics and is a Robert D. Stuart Fellow of George Washington University.

Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA)

Vice Chair, House Armed Services Committee, U.S. Congress

Congressman Wittman serves on the Armed Services Committee as vice chairman of the full committee and the Chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. On the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Congressman Wittman oversees the largest portfolio of modernization programs on the House Armed Services Committee, with vast ramifications for the future of the U.S. military’s ground and air forces and munitions stockpiles. Congressman Wittman also serves on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, U.S. Department of Defense

Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale is the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. She advises the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and other senior defense leaders on all matters industrial base. She also leads teams dedicated to conducting geo-economic analysis and assessments: providing recommendations on budget matters related to the defense industrial base. Dr. Taylor-Kale is a lifelong member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and has served as the Fellow for Innovation and Economic Competitiveness at CFR. Before joining CFR, she served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing in the International Trade Administration. She has held numerous other positions, amongst them at the World Bank.

Major General USAF (ret.) Randy "Church" Kee

Director, Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies

Maj. Gen. Randy "Church" Kee, USAF (ret). was appointed the Director of the Ted Stevens for Arctic Security Studies in December of 2023. Maj. Gen. Kee had previously served as the TSC Senior Advisor, Arctic Security Affairs, responsible for establishing and conducting early operations of the Center as the Department of Defense's sixth and newest regional center located near Anchorage, Alaska. During his 30-year military career, Maj. Gen. Kee led at the Squadron, Group, Wing, and Air Ops Center levels. He has contributed to U.S. Arctic Strategy, supported domain awareness technology development, and Defense Support to Arctic crisis response. He culminated his military service as Director of Strategy, Policy, Planning, and Capabilities for U.S. European Command. Maj. Gen. Kee is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center Polar Institute and a Network Member of the Canadian-hosted North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network at Trent University.

General USAF (ret.) Tod D. Wolters

Former SACEUR & EUCOM Commander, Sr Security Consultant, Northrop Grumman

Gen. Tod Wolters (ret.) is a Senior Security Consultant for Northrop Grumman and Jones Group International. Prior, Gen. Wolters was the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and the Commander of U.S. European Command (EUCOM). As SACEUR he was one of NATO's two strategic commanders and commanded Allied Command Operations, which is responsible for the planning and execution of all Alliance operations. He is also a Distinguished Fellow with the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Prior to being SACEUR and EUCOM, Gen. Wolters served as the commander of US Air Forces Europe, commander of US Air Forces Africa, NATO Allied Air Commander, and Director of the Joint Air Power Competence Center. Additionally, the director of operations of the US Joint Staff, director of operations of the US Air Force, commander 12th Air Force, director, legislative liaison US Air Force, deputy commander of US and NATO Air Forces Afghanistan, director of operations US Air Force Space Command, and as deputy commander for Combined Security Assistance Command Afghanistan, also holding numerous other position.

Rear Admiral (ret.) Lars Saunes

Professor/Rear Admiral (ret.) Royal Norwegian Navy, CNO Distinguished international fellow USNWC

Rear Adm. Saunes serves as Professor at U.S. Naval War College as CNO International fellow
where he is the co-lead for Newport Arctic Scholars initiative. Rear Admiral Saunes started his naval career as a professional submariner in 1984. He has operational experience from NATO, National HQs and Norwegian High Command/Joint Staff. He has held flag position as Commandant of the Norwegian Coast Guard and Chief of Royal Norwegian Navy. In his position as Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy he established the Norwegian Maritime Doctrine for Naval operations, Strategic concept for the Norwegian Navy 2016-40 «In operation or preparing for operation», to meet Norwegian maritime security challenges in northern region of Europe and in the Arctic. He has been a key speaker in many international seminars and forums and many national and international military symposiums.

Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee - Defense, U.S. Congress

Congresswoman McCollum represents Minnesota's Fourth District in the House of Representatives. She currently serves as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee on the Defense Subcommittee, focusing on the importance of a skilled and well-trained military, sustained modernization, and supporting international cooperation to prevent international conflicts.

Mr. Bob Fitzpatrick

Vice President, Requirements & Capabilities, RTX

Mr. Fitzpatrick is vice president of Requirements & Capabilities for Raytheon. He leads efforts to identify and capture new business opportunities, both in the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Fitzpatrick, a U.S. Army veteran previously held roles as the vice president of Business Development for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems and Raytheon Missile Systems before Raytheon Company’s merger with United Technologies Corporation in 2020. Fitzpatrick served 14 years in the U.S. Army as an attack helicopter operations officer, then worked for seven years in the U.S. Air Force’s C-17 program office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Mr. Adam Tarsi

International Program Manager, Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate

Mr. Adam Tarsi leads the International Program for IWTSD (formerly CTTSO), the national interagency research and development program for combating terrorism and irregular warfare. Mr. Tarsi manages formal bilateral relationships with Australia, Canada, Israel, Singapore, and the United Kingdom as well as with NATO and non-governmental organizations Mr. Tarsi has also served as CTTSO Chief of Staff, Head of Innovation, and Financial Manager over two decades of service.

Mr. Steve O'Bryan

Corporate Vice President and Global Business Development Officer, Northrop Grumman

Stephen O’Bryan is corporate vice president and Global Business Development Officer for Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. O’Bryan is responsible for the business development organization and enabling the company’s international growth strategy. O’Bryan joined Northrop Grumman from Boston Consulting Group. From 2018 to 2019, he was senior vice president and chief global business development officer for L3Harris Technologies. Prior to this, O’Bryan worked for Lockheed Martin, from 2004 to 2018, where he led numerous senior strategy and business development organizations, including F-35, Rotary and Mission Systems and Corporate International. He served with the U.S. Navy as an F/A-18 pilot and Top Gun Graduate.

Ms. Barbara McQuiston

Chair, NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Board of Directors

Ms. Barbara McQuiston is the Chair of the Board of Directors for DIANA, working to enhance and accelerate transatlantic cooperation on dual-use technology solutions and help NATO work more closely with private sector entities, academia, and other nongovernmental entities. She brings over 30 years of executive management experience in high-technology companies and government services. She has been the Pentagon's Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Science and Technology. Furthermore, Ms. McQuiston has held other positions including advisory positions throughout the Department of Defence and nearly a decade at the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Mr. Vincent Seiferd

Strategic Engagement Lead, USSOCOM SOF AT&L S&T

Mr. Vincent (Vince) Seiferd III is the Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Science and Technology (S&T) directorate strategic engagement lead, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida. Mr. Seiferd also interacts with multiple academic organizations from University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) and other national and regional agencies and services to partner and collaborate. Over 17 years Mr. Seiferd has held a variety of acquisition engineering positions in Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) at most SOF AT&L Program Executive Office levels.

Mr. Rolf Inge Roth

CEO, Green Ammo

Rolf Inge Roth is the CEO of GreenAmmo AS. Green Ammo works to develop and produce electronic environmentally friendly blank ammunition, their goal is to decrease risk and budgets while encouraging training as you fight. Their technology has revolutionized the field. Before joining Green Ammo, Mr. Roth accumulated over 20 years of experience in the Royal Norwegian Navy where he served as an officer, and held various command and operational planning positions. He has a proven track record of intelligence analysis, crisis management, and international relations.

Mr. Dag Wagner

Principal, O"Brien Gentry & Scott

Mr. Wagner is the Principal of O'Brien, Gentry & Scott, LLC, as well as a fellow of the National Security Institute at George Mason University. He is a seasoned government relations specialist with over two decades of experience in national security, intelligence, and the defense sector. Prior to stepping into the private sector, Mr. Wagner spent 10 years working for the DoD on Special Operations Legislative Affairs, as a National Security Representative on Counterterrorism to the Intelligence Community, working with other Congressional Affairs, and as Director of Intelligence to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Mr. Don Steinman

Executive Vice President, Product Knowledge

As the Founder and Executive Vice President of Product Knowledge, Mr. Steinman is a seasoned leader who brings with him more than 20 years of technology product development and commercialization experience resulting in nearly $2 billion in demonstrated revenue result. Mr. Steinman has extensive experience in both large and small firms, holding several senior positions in both management and technology development areas. His prior experiences range from the defense and commercial sectors, with a focus on transitioning core technology into sustainable products.

Major General Odd-Harald Hagen

Norwegian Defense Attaché to the United States

Maj. Gen. Odd-Harald Hagen has held the position of Norwegian Defense Attaché since August 2021. He started his military career in the Norwegian Army in 1985. His service includes a variety of combat and construction engineer command and staff positions, chief of operations at the divisional level, and staff positions in the Army staff and the Norwegian Defense Estates Agency. From November 2013 to January 2017, Major-General Hagen served as the Chairman of the NATO Army Armaments Group.

Mr. Morten Brandtzæg

CEO, Nammo

Mr. Brandtzæg began his career in the Nammo Group as Chief Financial Officer in 2004, and was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President, Missile Products Division in 2009.

He has been appointed President and CEO of the Nammo Group since August 2015. Nammo is an international aerospace and defense company headquartered in Norway. With close to 3 300 employees in 14 countries, they are among the world’s leading providers of specialty ammunition and rocket motors both military and civilian customers.

Ms. Heather Armentrout

President & General Manager, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace USA

Ms. Heather Armentrout is the US President and General Manager of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Inc., representing the Norwegian defence contractor's activities in the United States. She joined Kongsberg from Northrop Grumman, where she held several senior leadership positions. Her assignments involved strategic investment in technology to align Northrop Grumman's solutions with the future needs of the DoD. Prior, Ms. Armentrout served as an Intelligence Fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations and has over a decade of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Jonas Selim/Forsvaret