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Gjert L Dyndal

NTNU, ITK, Adjunct

Swedish Defence University, Department of Security and Strategy, Adjunct

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Soldier and Military Historian (PhD)
Brigadier General in the Norwegian Armed Forces
Professor competent adjunct researcher at NTNU (Technology development)
Former academic positions:
Former adjunct assistant professor at Nord University (Crisis Management)
Former adjunct Docent at the Swedish Defence University (Strategic studies)
Former project member at NTNU Department for Cybernetics
Former Deputy Commander of the Norwegian Joint Command and Staff College; former Dean of the Norwegian Air Force Academy; and former Department Head of Strategic Studies at the Norwegian Defence University.
Author and editor of the following books:
1. Larssen, Ann Karin og Gjert Lage Dyndal, red., Strategisk ledelse i krise og krig - Det norske systemet (Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 2020).
2. Berntsen, Tor Arne, Gjert Lage Dyndal and Sigrid R. Johansen, red., Når dronene våkner (Oslo: CappelenDamm, 2016).
3. Dyndal, Gjert Lage, Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers? (London: Ashgate, 2012).
4. Dyndal, Gjert Lage og Knutsen, Torbjørn, red., Exit Afghanistan (Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 2012).
5. Dyndal, Gjert Lage, red., Strategisk ledelse i krise og krig. (Bergen: Fagbokforlaget, 2010.
6. Dyndal, Gjert Lage, red., Trenchard and Slessor: On the Supremacy of Air Power over Sea Power (Trondheim: Tapir Akademisk Forlag, 2007).

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Papers by Gjert L Dyndal

Vi kriger i et glasshus: Utfordringer i randsonen til kampen mot IS

How the High North became Central in NATO Strategy: Revelations from the NATO Archives

Journal of Strategic Studies, Aug 1, 2011

From the late 1970s and until the end of the Cold War, the ‘High North’ constituted a central the... more From the late 1970s and until the end of the Cold War, the ‘High North’ constituted a central theatre for military forces. Extensive NATO preparations were made, a solid infrastructure developed in northern Norway, and frequent and large-scale exercises were carried out. These developments, from the late 1970s, were much discussed by scholars and strategists. However, the change of perception, laying the foundation for the military build-up, had actually occurred a decade earlier, in the late 1960s. This change has not yet been given its rightful attention, partly because the relevant documents have only recently become available. This essay takes the chronology of events back into the 1960s and to NATO's secret discussions between the national Ministers of Defence and Chiefs of Staff. The most significant turning-points were the Flexible Response strategy of 1967; SACLANT's concern over increased Soviet naval activity and his ‘Maritime Strategy’ studies of 1965 and 1967; NATO's awakening to the Soviet SSBN threat in 1967; and the concept of ‘External Reinforcement of the Flanks’ of 1968 – finally followed by the ‘Brosio Study’ (named after the then NATO Secretary-General) of 1969. As a consequence of these developments NATO's ‘tactical northern flank’ was set to become an independent strategic theatre.

A theoretical framework of Maritime Air Power

Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers?

Routledge eBooks, Apr 22, 2016

The elements of maritime air power

This Master of Philosophy dissertation is about air power in maritime warfare. I have from academ... more This Master of Philosophy dissertation is about air power in maritime warfare. I have from academically studies and operational maritime aviation experience found that Maritime Air Power has through its short history fallen between the concepts and theories of sea and air power. It has often been narrowly described and defined - often with great differences between the naval and air services. Because of this lack of a common and cross-service definition, I have in this dissertation presented a description of Maritime Air Power based on purpose and objectives rather than viewing it from a perspective of service or platform. The definition argued was: "Maritime Air Power constitutes the parts of air power which are being applied in the maritime theatre to fulfil maritime objectives, as well as achieving the necessary degree of air control for maritime operations within this area of interest". Following this perspective, I have identified and argued all the elements that have...

Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Routledge eBooks, Feb 20, 2018

Deterrence and Limited Wars: Echoes from the Cold War?

The present situation in Europe has raised concerns about whether the USA still has the will to p... more The present situation in Europe has raised concerns about whether the USA still has the will to provide security to European allies through extended deterrence.1,2 During the Cold War, countries within Moscow’s reach sought NATO membership solely for the “safe haven” of NATO’s article 5. Participation in international military operations was not the driving factor. The expense of NATO membership was merely a means to that end, seen as an investment in a security deposit one could draw upon in harder times. Few today envisage a US or NATO nuclear retaliation as a response to Russia’s interference in e.g. a Baltic country, as mentioned by Christopher Coker in Chap. 2 and discussed in some more depth by Julian Lindley-French in Chap. 6. However, nuclear weapons do frame any power-play involving NATO and Russia, and the issue of nuclear deterrence is still something to be reckoned with.

Nato-etterretningens skiftende fokus: Fra det sydlige Skandinavia til det “høye nord“ på slutten av 1950-tallet

Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers?: A Case Study of the British Debate about Maritime Air Power in the 1960s

The Northern Flank and High North Scenarios of the Cold War

Trenchard and Slessor : on the supremacy of air power over sea power

This short book comprises eight articles by TRENCHARD and SLESSOR. These articles represent some ... more This short book comprises eight articles by TRENCHARD and SLESSOR. These articles represent some extreme understandings of maritime air power. In this respect, Trenchard and Slessor acted as ‘air power advocates’. They argued strongly for the supremacy of air power over sea power; meaning aircraft supremacy over traditional naval surface ships, land-based aviation’s supremacy over naval carrier aviation, and the need for a coherent and independent air force organisation. The purpose of this book is to reproduce and make available these extreme perceptions on maritime air power. There are two explanatory chapters setting the scene for the essays. I do not support the views put forward by either Trenchard or Slessor on maritime air power in these essays, but they speak for many – also contemporaries – and thus make important contributions to the debate. There is a time and place for naval carrier aviation, as there is a time for land based air power.

NATO’s Comprehensive Approach: Still Something for the Future?

Paper presented at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College (NDCSC) Doctrine Conference, O... more

The Northern Flank and High North Scenarios of the Cold War

Paper held at conference: «Peripherie oder Kontaktzone? Die NATO-Flanken 1961 bis 2013”, Zentrum ... more

The rise of the Soviet Navy , a re-visited Western view

Artikkelen har tatt utgangspunkt i den omfattende eldre litteraturen om den sovjetiske marinen, o... more Artikkelen har tatt utgangspunkt i den omfattende eldre litteraturen om den sovjetiske marinen, og har med (den mer sparsommelige) nyere litteratur og et tidsmessig distansert forhold til den kalde krigen gjort et forsøk på å gjøre en ny vurdering av den sovjetiske marinen vekst under den kalde krigen. Artikkelens ambisjon er å anspore til videre debatt og motivere en ny generasjon forskere og militærfilosofer til å gripe tak i de oppfattelser som var og fortsatt er om kvaliteten til den sovjetiske militærmakten, dens hensikter, ambisjoner og balansering av styrke-enheter særskilt. Artikkelen argumenterer for at den sovjetiske marinen og de tilhørende flystyrker for de maritime miljøene, under ledelse av Admiral Gorshkov, var særskilt russisk og godt balansert for sin hensikt.

Nato-etterretningens skiftende fokus: Fra det sydlige Skandinavia til det “høye nord“ på slutten av 1950-tallet

The historiography of the Cold War in Scandinavia gives a good overview of the period and the mai... more The historiography of the Cold War in Scandinavia gives a good overview of the period and the main developments. Newly released archival material may still bring new perceptions to the established overall knowledge, and not least bring more detailed accounts of events and processes. In this article, we thoroughly examine the overarching intelligence assessments of NATO – the Standing Group’s annual assessments of the Soviet threat. This is in order to examine when and why NATO intelligence shifted focus from the southern parts of Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea to the High North. The general and agreed historiography states that this happened in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Our chronological review of the archival material supports this generally agreed knowledge, but also finds clear evidence that for the highest-level NATO intelligence community this change of perception may be specified to 1956-57.

The rising Chinese Navy Where To NMT vol 2 2021 Gjert Dyndal

Norsk Militært Tidsskift, 2021

The exceptional rise of the Chinese Navy, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN), has att... more The exceptional rise of the Chinese Navy, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN), has attracted much attention for some years. By observation, its expansion is extraordinary. Not in sheer numbers – as it was known as a ‘1000 ship Navy’ already during the Cold War. However, that was a very different balanced navy and with other purpose than the dominant global US Navy.
Today we observe an increase in larger and more powerful Chinese naval capabilities: modern missile frigates and destroyers, amphibious forces and the early development of an aircraft carrier fleet. What lay behind these observable changes?
There are diverging interpretations of the rationale for these developments and the future projections of what the Chinese Navy will or may become. I will review the evolving naval thinking and the capability developments we observe and provide a comparison to earlier sea power thinking that both provides lessons for the Chinese and serve as a useful theoretical framework for us to try to understand what navy it is and may become.

Land based air power or aircraft carriers? The British debate about maritime air power in the 1960s

The origins of NATO concerns about the Soviet SSBN_NATO Review 2017_Dyndal.pdf

Autonomous military drones_no longer scince fiction_NATO Reveiw 2017_Dyndal Berntsen Johansen.pdf

The Political Challenge to Petroleum Activity around Svalbard

The RUSI Journal, 2014

Vi kriger i et glasshus: Utfordringer i randsonen til kampen mot IS

How the High North became Central in NATO Strategy: Revelations from the NATO Archives

Journal of Strategic Studies, Aug 1, 2011

From the late 1970s and until the end of the Cold War, the ‘High North’ constituted a central the... more From the late 1970s and until the end of the Cold War, the ‘High North’ constituted a central theatre for military forces. Extensive NATO preparations were made, a solid infrastructure developed in northern Norway, and frequent and large-scale exercises were carried out. These developments, from the late 1970s, were much discussed by scholars and strategists. However, the change of perception, laying the foundation for the military build-up, had actually occurred a decade earlier, in the late 1960s. This change has not yet been given its rightful attention, partly because the relevant documents have only recently become available. This essay takes the chronology of events back into the 1960s and to NATO's secret discussions between the national Ministers of Defence and Chiefs of Staff. The most significant turning-points were the Flexible Response strategy of 1967; SACLANT's concern over increased Soviet naval activity and his ‘Maritime Strategy’ studies of 1965 and 1967; NATO's awakening to the Soviet SSBN threat in 1967; and the concept of ‘External Reinforcement of the Flanks’ of 1968 – finally followed by the ‘Brosio Study’ (named after the then NATO Secretary-General) of 1969. As a consequence of these developments NATO's ‘tactical northern flank’ was set to become an independent strategic theatre.

A theoretical framework of Maritime Air Power

Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers?

Routledge eBooks, Apr 22, 2016

The elements of maritime air power

This Master of Philosophy dissertation is about air power in maritime warfare. I have from academ... more This Master of Philosophy dissertation is about air power in maritime warfare. I have from academically studies and operational maritime aviation experience found that Maritime Air Power has through its short history fallen between the concepts and theories of sea and air power. It has often been narrowly described and defined - often with great differences between the naval and air services. Because of this lack of a common and cross-service definition, I have in this dissertation presented a description of Maritime Air Power based on purpose and objectives rather than viewing it from a perspective of service or platform. The definition argued was: "Maritime Air Power constitutes the parts of air power which are being applied in the maritime theatre to fulfil maritime objectives, as well as achieving the necessary degree of air control for maritime operations within this area of interest". Following this perspective, I have identified and argued all the elements that have...

Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Routledge eBooks, Feb 20, 2018

Deterrence and Limited Wars: Echoes from the Cold War?

The present situation in Europe has raised concerns about whether the USA still has the will to p... more The present situation in Europe has raised concerns about whether the USA still has the will to provide security to European allies through extended deterrence.1,2 During the Cold War, countries within Moscow’s reach sought NATO membership solely for the “safe haven” of NATO’s article 5. Participation in international military operations was not the driving factor. The expense of NATO membership was merely a means to that end, seen as an investment in a security deposit one could draw upon in harder times. Few today envisage a US or NATO nuclear retaliation as a response to Russia’s interference in e.g. a Baltic country, as mentioned by Christopher Coker in Chap. 2 and discussed in some more depth by Julian Lindley-French in Chap. 6. However, nuclear weapons do frame any power-play involving NATO and Russia, and the issue of nuclear deterrence is still something to be reckoned with.

Nato-etterretningens skiftende fokus: Fra det sydlige Skandinavia til det “høye nord“ på slutten av 1950-tallet

Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers?: A Case Study of the British Debate about Maritime Air Power in the 1960s

The Northern Flank and High North Scenarios of the Cold War

Trenchard and Slessor : on the supremacy of air power over sea power

This short book comprises eight articles by TRENCHARD and SLESSOR. These articles represent some ... more This short book comprises eight articles by TRENCHARD and SLESSOR. These articles represent some extreme understandings of maritime air power. In this respect, Trenchard and Slessor acted as ‘air power advocates’. They argued strongly for the supremacy of air power over sea power; meaning aircraft supremacy over traditional naval surface ships, land-based aviation’s supremacy over naval carrier aviation, and the need for a coherent and independent air force organisation. The purpose of this book is to reproduce and make available these extreme perceptions on maritime air power. There are two explanatory chapters setting the scene for the essays. I do not support the views put forward by either Trenchard or Slessor on maritime air power in these essays, but they speak for many – also contemporaries – and thus make important contributions to the debate. There is a time and place for naval carrier aviation, as there is a time for land based air power.

NATO’s Comprehensive Approach: Still Something for the Future?

Paper presented at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College (NDCSC) Doctrine Conference, O... more

The Northern Flank and High North Scenarios of the Cold War

Paper held at conference: «Peripherie oder Kontaktzone? Die NATO-Flanken 1961 bis 2013”, Zentrum ... more

The rise of the Soviet Navy , a re-visited Western view

Artikkelen har tatt utgangspunkt i den omfattende eldre litteraturen om den sovjetiske marinen, o... more Artikkelen har tatt utgangspunkt i den omfattende eldre litteraturen om den sovjetiske marinen, og har med (den mer sparsommelige) nyere litteratur og et tidsmessig distansert forhold til den kalde krigen gjort et forsøk på å gjøre en ny vurdering av den sovjetiske marinen vekst under den kalde krigen. Artikkelens ambisjon er å anspore til videre debatt og motivere en ny generasjon forskere og militærfilosofer til å gripe tak i de oppfattelser som var og fortsatt er om kvaliteten til den sovjetiske militærmakten, dens hensikter, ambisjoner og balansering av styrke-enheter særskilt. Artikkelen argumenterer for at den sovjetiske marinen og de tilhørende flystyrker for de maritime miljøene, under ledelse av Admiral Gorshkov, var særskilt russisk og godt balansert for sin hensikt.

Nato-etterretningens skiftende fokus: Fra det sydlige Skandinavia til det “høye nord“ på slutten av 1950-tallet

The historiography of the Cold War in Scandinavia gives a good overview of the period and the mai... more The historiography of the Cold War in Scandinavia gives a good overview of the period and the main developments. Newly released archival material may still bring new perceptions to the established overall knowledge, and not least bring more detailed accounts of events and processes. In this article, we thoroughly examine the overarching intelligence assessments of NATO – the Standing Group’s annual assessments of the Soviet threat. This is in order to examine when and why NATO intelligence shifted focus from the southern parts of Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea to the High North. The general and agreed historiography states that this happened in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Our chronological review of the archival material supports this generally agreed knowledge, but also finds clear evidence that for the highest-level NATO intelligence community this change of perception may be specified to 1956-57.

The rising Chinese Navy Where To NMT vol 2 2021 Gjert Dyndal

Norsk Militært Tidsskift, 2021

The exceptional rise of the Chinese Navy, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN), has att... more The exceptional rise of the Chinese Navy, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN), has attracted much attention for some years. By observation, its expansion is extraordinary. Not in sheer numbers – as it was known as a ‘1000 ship Navy’ already during the Cold War. However, that was a very different balanced navy and with other purpose than the dominant global US Navy.
Today we observe an increase in larger and more powerful Chinese naval capabilities: modern missile frigates and destroyers, amphibious forces and the early development of an aircraft carrier fleet. What lay behind these observable changes?
There are diverging interpretations of the rationale for these developments and the future projections of what the Chinese Navy will or may become. I will review the evolving naval thinking and the capability developments we observe and provide a comparison to earlier sea power thinking that both provides lessons for the Chinese and serve as a useful theoretical framework for us to try to understand what navy it is and may become.

Land based air power or aircraft carriers? The British debate about maritime air power in the 1960s

The origins of NATO concerns about the Soviet SSBN_NATO Review 2017_Dyndal.pdf

Autonomous military drones_no longer scince fiction_NATO Reveiw 2017_Dyndal Berntsen Johansen.pdf

The Political Challenge to Petroleum Activity around Svalbard

The RUSI Journal, 2014