In collaboration with the US Commercial Service, AmCham hosted the first Defense Forum of the year at Thon Hotel Opera, welcoming distinguished speakers State Secretary Marte Gerhardsen and Shield AI’s Chris Brinkley. Centering on enduring relationships, the forum focused on industry collaboration, rapid innovation and adaptation, and allied inter-operability.
State Secretary Marte Gerhardsen underscored the critical role of cooperation amongst allied nations in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment. She highlighted Norway’s long‑term defense priorities, noting that by 2036 the defense budget will have doubled, enabling modernization and strengthened capabilities. This trajectory is reinforced by deepening Nordic and Baltic cooperation, accelerated by Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO, and a renewed focus on interoperability across the Alliance.
Gerhardsen also emphasized the importance of strong transatlantic ties, both politically and industrially, noting that close cooperation across the Atlantic remains essential for capability development, technology sharing, and collective security. She further underscored the need for regulatory frameworks that allow for agility and adaptation in an era of rapid technological change, while ensuring legal and ethical safeguards remain central.
Chris Brinkley, Head of Europe and Africa at Shield AI, presented the company’s mission to protect service members and civilians through intelligent autonomous systems. Shield AI opened its Oslo office in 2025, noting that their expansion to Norway reflects the high level of trust, shared values, and industrial complementarity between US and Norwegian defense partners. Brinkley then introduced Hivemind, Shield AI’s AI pilot designed to enable mission autonomy in contested and communications‑denied environments. Hivemind allows uncrewed aircraft to navigate, collaborate, and execute complex missions without GPS or remote operators, functioning as an “AI wingman.”
Brinkley also highlighted Shield AI’s newest aircraft, the X‑BAT, a vertical‑takeoff stealth jet capable of long‑range, runway‑independent operations. Designed to operate from ships, remote islands, or austere bases, X‑BAT combines VTOL performance with internal and external weapons carriage and a full‑spectrum sensor suite and is powered by Hivemind for fully autonomous operation.
Together, the speakers underscored that in an era where uncertainty is the only constant, strong alliances and adaptive frameworks are essential.
In partnership with the US Commercial Service, the Defense Forum supports US defense industry partners in Norway. Key Patron-level and defense industry representatives gather quarterly to forge enhanced public-private sector collaboration – sharing insights, developments, and trends to secure long-term transatlantic bonds.
Please contact amcham@amcham.no for interest in future meetings.
AmCham Defense Forum: Uncertainty Becomes Certainty In collaboration with the US Commercial Service, AmCham hosted the first Defense Forum of the year at Thon Hotel
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In collaboration with the US Commercial Service, AmCham’s second Defense Forum of the year was hosted Vila Otium, where participants were welcomed by Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the U.S. Embassy Oslo, Robert S. Needham. The session featured distinguished speakers Commodore Kyrre Haugen, Commander of the Norwegian Fleet, and Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (ret.), Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy, Navy League of the United States.