For the first time, the German-Nordic Defence Industry Dialogue was held during Enforce Tac 2025. The conference was organized by Dr. Christian Wildhagen in collaboration with NORDSEC and Ebbe Deraas.
– The goal was to establish an innovative defence industrial ecosystem between Germany and the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland), with the potential for broader participation, explains Ebbe Deraas, cluster leader at NORDSEC.
Among the participants were representatives from defence ministries, government agencies, industry organizations, and defence companies, including the Royal Danish Embassy in Germany, Morten Minsaas (COO, Ritek AS), and Håvar Øie (Senior Sales Director Defence & Security, Maritime Robotics).
– This was a very good conference, says Håvar Øie. Many companies showcased cutting-edge technology, with a strong presence of SMEs focusing on innovation. The participation of Øyvind Kvalvik (Deputy Director, Norwegian Defence Material Agency) and Lieutenant General Gert Nultsch (Deputy Director General & Head of Investment, Norwegian Defence Material Agency) highlights the importance of this forum, Øie adds.
– The conference provided valuable insight into procurement regulations and Germany’s interest in the Nordic market. It also reinforced the belief that SMEs have a place in offset agreements. Having the opportunity to showcase our company in such an arena is extremely valuable, Øie concludes.
– We are positively surprised by the number of visitors at our booth, say Torbjørn Houge and Jostein Markussen from Maritime Robotics.
Torbjørn Houge is Senior Technology Director, Defence & Security, and Jostein Markussen is Sales Manager at the company.
– There is significant interest in both our booth and our products. We have gathered many leads that we will follow up on once we return to Norway. We also attended last year, and we see even greater interest this year. This is partly due to improvements in our booth design, and we also see that the pavilion attracts a lot of attention, Houge and Markussen explain.
– It was an excellent day for us, says Jo Nordvoll, Sales Manager at Inission Løkken, a NORDSEC member company.
– We spoke with many interesting and relevant visitors. Our strategy at such exhibitions is to have some team members stationed at the booth while others actively seek out potential customers and partners. That’s why we have four representatives this year, working in pairs. Our main focus is networking and identifying new clients, he explains.
– We experience a significant advantage in exhibiting alongside other Norwegian companies under a large Norwegian flag rather than blending into the crowd with a small individual stand. We also notice that visitors who are not interested in our technology often get redirected to other Norwegian exhibitors within the pavilion, benefiting the entire group from Trøndelag, Nordvoll adds.
The German-Nordic Defence Industry Dialogue at Enforce Tac 2025 marks an important milestone for Nordic defence industry collaboration – and a strong foundation for further cooperation.
Among the participants at NORDSEC's pavilion we'll find Euroheater, Maritime Robotics, Hansen Protection, Barents Outdoor, Oskar Pedersen AS, Bergans, Cinderella, Devold of Norway, Rapid Rappel, Aclima, Squarehead Technologies, Norwegian Tactical Concepts, Solid Ground AS, RITEK, Safe Solutions, Biodrone, Norse Consepts AS, Storm Defense, Cold Skills AS, Inission, Proneo og Radionor.