It gives me great pleasure to contribute to the annual Bconnect of the Mid- Atlantic American-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (NACC MA), and its special edition on Defence and Security. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Chamber on its efforts to foster U.S. - Norwegian relations, not only within commerce, but also in other areas, such as defence, contributing to the strengthening of the bilateral relationship between the USA and Norway. We live in times of change. Globalization, growing interdependence, technological developments and other trends call for continuous adjustment. We do not know how the future will unfold, but we do know that it will call for robust Armed Forces with necessary military capabilities adept at confronting a multitude of different challenges.

Earlier barriers between nations and alliances have been transformed into strong ties and valuable defence cooperation. We fi nd ourselves engaged with old and new allies and partners in military operations in areas of the world that no one would have predicted a decade ago. This provides a transformed and challenging framework for our Armed Forces, which we have to address whilst retaining our focus on the Alliance’s core functions and ability to defend its own territory.

In preparing our forces to carry out their duties, nationally and internationally, we need to provide the necessary resources. The Norwegian government adopted in June this year the next Long Term Plan for Defence, setting out targets for the development of the overall defence structure towards 2012 and beyond.

 To read the 2008 Annual Magazine please click here.

Over the last year, a twin energy related challenge has confronted us: Ensuring secure, aff ordable energy for more of the world’s population, and managing the consequences of energy production and consumption in a sustainable manner. The widespread energy poverty is perhaps the most serious problem the world is facing. Large parts of the world do not have access to commercial energy at all. More than 1.5 billion people do not have access to electricity. Without adequate supplies of aff ordable energy, thousands of people will not have the possibility to take part in the economic growth and welfare in the world. However, consumption of fossil fuel combustion leads to emission of greenhouse gases which is the primary cause of global warming.

There is broad consensus that these challenges represent the two main gaps in today’s energy world. We have the means to change our course, but we must act now.

Norway is a major producer of fossil fuels, and we have an important role in contributing to technology development and enhanced capacity. Energy effi ciency is an important fi rst step, but must be followed by further development of alternative energy sources such as off shore windpower bioenergy and solar power. Demonstration and deployment of promising technologies must be a priority.

 To read the 2007 Annual Magazine please click here.

Economic growth over the past twenty years has been substantial in Norway, and our country has become one of the richest in the world. This means an even closer trading relationship with the United States, the most important and technologically advanced economy in the world.

Approximately 7% of Norway’s exports travel across the Atlantic to the US, making US the single most important market for Norway outside Europe. While Norway’s export to the US increased by 4 % last year, US export to Norway increased by 9%.

I welcome the activities of NACC Mid-Atlantic Chapter and hope that the Chamber may be an active instrument in promoting trade between our two countries.

 To read the 2006 Annual Magazine please click here.

Thank you for your interest in the Chamber’s first annual magazine, a business oriented publication introduced during the 2005 Norway Centennial Anniversary. This premier issue celebrates the strong trade relationship between Norway and the U.S., highlights our fast-growing international business network, and offers a useful business resource and marketing tool for members and organizations on both sides of the Atlantic.

In this first issue, the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Inc. (NACC MA) is pleased to provide you with information about our Chamber, and to present member company feature and business articles, as well as trade statistics regarding our two countries. In the future, we plan to bring selected articles from different U.S. and Norwegian sources to highlight activities, trends and new developments in various business sectors and market segments.

 To read the 2005 Annual Magazine please click here.