Trans-Atlantic Legal, Public Engagement, and National Security Alliance Meeting Held Jointly at Syracuse University and University of Bergen
Second Annual TALONS Conference on Best Practices in National Security Law to be Held at University of Eastern Finland
The University of Eastern Finland will host the Second Annual Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach, and National Security (TALONS) Conference in June 2026. This event marks a continuation of the alliance's efforts to strengthen knowledge sharing on national security law among frontline states.
Last year, the inaugural TALONS Conference took place at the University of Bergen, Norway, with a focus on the topic "Best Practices in National Security Law: The Frontline State Perspective." The conference brought together scholars and officials from 16 universities and 12 states, primarily from Eastern and Northern Europe and the United States.
The conference aimed to support frontline states, particularly Ukraine, in post-conflict resolution. Participants discussed and shared best practices to help these states identify and address present and future security threats consistently with shared legal and democratic values.
Articles from conference participants will be published on topics such as Russia's efforts to subvert the Romanian presidential election, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, and Russian and Chinese threats to the Arctic. The Eastern European Journal of Transnational Relations will publish articles on the conference and its key findings.
The conference also emphasized the importance of showing up to academic alliances based on shared values. Law was recognized as a democratic and national security value at the conference.
The conference had four main goals: to establish an ongoing alliance of security scholars in frontline states committed to teaching national security law, to create an ongoing forum to exchange ideas about national security and teaching national security in frontline states, and to foster collaboration and mutual learning among participants.
University of Bialystok Professor and JDi Distinguished Lecturer Charles Szymański, with the Hon. James E. Baker, will edit and contribute to a treatise on National Security Law in the Frontline States.
The key outcomes of the first TALONS Conference included the establishment of an enduring alliance of national security law scholars from frontline states, the creation of a continuous forum for exchanging ideas on national security law education, opportunities for participants to publish their work, and the identification of best practices to address current and future security threats consistent with democratic and legal values.
The Second Annual TALONS Conference is expected to further solidify the alliance and expand knowledge sharing on national security law among the participating frontline states. The conference aims to facilitate the free exchange of ideas and recommendations, and to bring together scholars and officials from different countries to share best practices in national security law and to discuss the challenges faced by frontline states.
Key Outcomes and Future Plans
| Aspect | Details | |----------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Key outcomes | - Formation of ongoing scholar alliance in frontline states | | | - Continuous forum for national security law exchange | | | - Publication opportunities via Eastern European Journal of Transnational Relations | | | - Identification of best practices against current and future security threats | | | - Focus on threats from Russia and China, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity | | Future plans | - Second Annual TALONS Conference to be held at University of Eastern Finland | | | - Further development of alliance and exchange on national security law education |
These outcomes and plans reflect a commitment to collaboratively addressing complex security challenges while upholding legal and democratic principles across the transatlantic frontline states.
The Second Annual TALONS Conference, to be held at the University of Eastern Finland, will continue the alliance's focus on fostering education and self-development in national security law among frontline states, while also discussion war-and-conflicts related issues, political dynamics, and general news.
In line with its future plans, the conference aims to not only strengthen the alliance but also expand knowledge sharing on national security law, promoting the free exchange of ideas and recommendations, and addressing current and future security threats consistently with shared legal and democratic values.
