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KONGSBERG advances Nordic defence cooperation at Nordic Compass Summit

Nordic industry and political leaders gathered in Gothenburg on 4–5 November to explore closer cooperation on security, competitiveness and resilience. KONGSBERG President and CEO Eirik Lie highlighted opportunities to turn Nordic industrial strengths into shared defence capabilities.

  • Text:Njål Frilseth / KONGSBERG

    Photo: Elmrin Thanner / Nordic Compass

The inaugural Nordic Compass Summit brought together business leaders, government representatives and European institutions to advance practical cooperation across four areas: Defence, Energy, Deep Tech and Capital Markets.

Established in May 2026, Nordic Compass is an industry-led alliance involving more than 40 Nordic companies, foundations and organisations. Its ambition is to strengthen regional competitiveness and resilience through concrete initiatives.

For the defence industry, the changing security environment and the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO have created new opportunities for Nordic cooperation.

Image of Eirik Lie

I think all the Nordic nations are facing many of the same challenges. If we can find common ways of doing things, we can speed things up. We also need to look at how we can organise ourselves and how we can make use of start-ups and civilian solutions within defence.

KONGSBERG President and CEO

From Nordic strengths to joint capabilities

Lie participated in the Summit's high-level defence engagements, including a breakfast meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Swedish Minister for Defence Pål Jonson, Defence Track Chair Jyri Häkämies and senior representatives from Ericsson, KONGSBERG, Nokia, Patria, Saab and Terma.

He also contributed to the Defence Strategic Roundtable, which brought together industry, governments, Nordic National Armament Directors and European Commission representatives to explore how closer cooperation could accelerate defence capability development. A central focus was how the Nordic countries can combine their expertise in space, maritime and undersea technology, and secure communications.

Space offers particular opportunities. Closer cooperation on satellite-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in the Arctic, as well as missile early warning, could strengthen Nordic and Allied security. The objective is to connect national capabilities, improve information sharing and develop interoperable solutions while maintaining national sovereignty.

"We need to look at the companies' portfolios and find complementary solutions. How can we join forces and create better solutions?" said Lie.

Accelerating defence innovation and procurement

The discussions also addressed how Nordic countries can develop and procure defence capabilities more efficiently.

Despite growing defence investment, national requirements, certification procedures and procurement processes remain largely separate.

Greater coordination could reduce duplication, accelerate innovation and help industry increase production capacity.

Lie emphasised the need for more flexible approaches, particularly when integrating technologies from start-ups and civilian industries.

"We need to be able to take a tech start-up solution or a civilian solution and introduce it much more quickly than we can through the traditional way of doing defence procurement," said Lie.

Six companies outline shared ambitions

As part of the Nordic Compass Defence Track, Ericsson, KONGSBERG, Nokia, Patria, Saab and Terma have outlined a common direction for future cooperation in the Nordic Compass Defence Statement.

The statement identifies four priority initiatives covering space, maritime and undersea infrastructure protection, secure connectivity and a new Nordic defence industry model. The companies are inviting Nordic governments and defence authorities to help develop these initiatives, with the aim of strengthening interoperability, accelerating capability delivery and improving security of supply.

"In an increasingly complex security environment, the Nordic region’s strength lies in its ability to combine technological excellence, industrial capacity and trusted partnerships. Nordic Compass provides a platform to turn that potential into tangible outcomes and real capabilities, to strengthen regional security and defence across borders," said Lie.

Read more about the joint initiatives in the Nordic Compass Defence Statement. 

Turning cooperation into action

Although Nordic defence companies compete internationally, they also have a longstanding tradition of working together.

"We are companies, and competition makes us better. But at the same time, we have been partners for decades in this business. We compete, but we also collaborate," said Lie.

Following the Summit, the participating companies will continue developing the initiatives in dialogue with Nordic governments, defence authorities and industry partners. For KONGSBERG, the priority is to translate these shared ambitions into practical cooperation that strengthens Nordic, European and Allied security.

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