Karl Rosander: "With or without Putin, Russia will be an existential threat to Europe"
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Nordic Air Defence
In today's global security environment, one needs to be "watching everywhere," according to Karl Rosander, the chief executive at Nordic Air Defence.
- There are concerns across the greater Middle East, tensions between the U.S. and China, and pressures from Russia, "which has proven to have no hesitations to use any military means to disrupt European security," he told Axios in an interview.
- "With or without [Vladimir] Putin, Russia will be an existential threat to Europe."
Why he matters: Rosander is a serial entrepreneur and among a growing stable of European defense-tech enthusiasts.
- His company is based in Sweden, which joined NATO a little more than one year ago.
Q: When you hear "future of defense," what comes to mind?
A: Without defense there is no state, so the future of defense is the future of each state. Therefore, it's quite vital, I would say.
Q: When will wars be waged solely by robots?
A: Hopefully never, but realistically sooner than we think. But, with luck, we'll have 10-15 years to prepare for it.
Q: Where are you investing internally, and how could it shake up the status quo?
A: I cannot reveal what we are currently doing. However, what I can say is we are treating hardware development like you would software.
- This is a new way of thinking, which should result in getting to market faster.
Q: How many emails do you get a day, and how do you deal with them?
A: My inbox is currently showing 127,229 unread emails, which makes me quite stressed out. Most of them are junk, but I always check through them to ensure I'm actioning and responding to the important ones.
Q: What's your secret to a successful overnight flight?
A: It is easy: Eat before you board, maybe an herbal tea, and go to bed before take-off. Staying up for airplane food is not worth it. No alcohol on flights.
- Actually, no alcohol ever is my advice if you want to stay sharp and in shape.
Q: What's a piece of gear or tech you can't go without?
A: My phone. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or hasn't thought it through.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self?
A: Buy a lot of shares in this newly listed company, Microsoft. I have a good feeling about that one.
