Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach, and National Security Conference Held Jointly at Syracuse University and University of Bergen
First Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach, and National Security (TALONS) Conference Held in Norway
A historic conference took place at the University of Bergen, Norway, last week, marking the first gathering of the Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach, and National Security (TALONS). The event, held from 1st to 3rd June, brought together national security scholars and officials from 16 universities and 12 frontline states to discuss "Best Practices in National Security Law: The Frontline State Perspective."
The conference aimed to establish an ongoing alliance, create a forum for idea exchange, focus on national security, and teach national security in frontline states. Recognizing and communicating these values is vital during such times.
Participants hailed from countries including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the U.S. The gathering represented a significant step in fostering collaborative knowledge-sharing, legal education, and addressing evolving security challenges from the frontline states' perspective within a shared transatlantic framework.
The Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL) and the University of Bergen Faculty of Law co-hosted the event, which was a culmination of several years' work on furthering the field of national security law in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
During the conference, four primary goals were established:
- To form a lasting alliance of security scholars committed to teaching national security law in frontline states.
- To create a continuing forum for exchanging ideas on national security and its teaching in these states.
- To provide opportunities for participants to publish and disseminate their work widely.
- To identify best practices from frontline states' experiences to confront current and future security threats consistent with shared democratic and legal values.
Immediate outcomes included plans for the Eastern European Journal of Transnational Relations to publish articles related to the conference’s key findings. These articles will cover topics like Russian interference in Romanian presidential elections, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, and Russian and Chinese threats to the Arctic.
Moreover, the University of Eastern Finland has been announced as the host for the Second Annual TALONS Conference on Best Practices in National Security Law, scheduled for June 2026. Furthermore, University of Bialystok Professor Charles Szymański and the Hon. James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law, will edit and contribute to a treatise on National Security Law in the Frontline States.
The free exchange of ideas and recommendations from the conference is critical to supporting the frontline states and preparing for post-conflict resolution in Ukraine. Law is recognized as both a democratic and national security value during a time when they are threatened. The success of the inaugural TALONS Conference sets the stage for future collaborations and advancements in the field of national security law.
- Recognizing the importance of educational and self-development, the first goal of the TALONS Conference was to form a lasting alliance of security scholars committed to teaching national security law in frontline states, thereby promoting personal growth and learning within the transatlantic community.
- To facilitate ongoing discussions and idea-sharing among the participants, the conference aimed to create a continuing forum for exchanging ideas on national security and its teaching in these states, fostering a collaborative approach to addressing evolving security challenges and supporting personal growth through lifelong learning.
