NATO Allied Maritime Command and the Centre for Seapower and Strategy at the University of Plymouth recently co-hosted their sixth joint Seapower Conference, titled “DETERRING AGGRESSION, DEFENDING NATO: SEA POWER IN A EUROPE AT WAR.” The conference took place at Warren House in Kingston Upon Thames from July 17-18, 2023. This event was significant as it occurred more than a year after Russia’s war against Ukraine, which compelled a reassessment of assumptions about Russia, NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, and the necessary adaptations and transformations for the Alliance to address this challenge.
The conference brought together a distinguished group of participants, including academics, government officials, think-tank representatives, and military leaders. Notable attendees included Vice Admiral Mike Utley CB OBE Royal Navy, Commander of Allied Maritime Command; Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee USN, Commander of the US Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO; Commodore Jukka Anteroinen, Chief of Staff of the Finnish Navy; and Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, Director of NATO Coordination Cell for Critical Undersea Infrastructure. Representing the University of Plymouth were Dr. Fotios Moustakis, Director of the Centre for Sea Power and Strategy, Dr. Brendan Brookshaw, and Ken Livingstone. Additionally, a video message from Vice-Chancellor Judith Petts extended a welcome to the conference delegates.
