Professional Affiliation

Defense Attaché, Royal Norwegian Embassy

Expert Bio

Major General Odd-Harald Hagen started his military career in the Norwegian Army in 1985. Through his service, he has held a variety of combat and construction engineer command and staff positions, chief operations at divisional level and staff positions in the Army staff and the Norwegian Defense Estates Agency. His service also includes service in KFOR, ISAF, NTM-Iraq and at HQ SACT. From November 2013 to January 2017, he served as the Chairman of the NATO Army Armaments Group. He was promoted Major-General in November 2016 when he assumed the position as Head of the Department for Defence Policy and Long Term Planning in the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence, a position he held until August 2021. 

Major General Hagen is a graduate of the Norwegian National Staff College, the Swedish National Staff College, the Norwegian Defense University College, King’s College London and the UK Royal College of Defence Studies. He holds a Bachelor in Military Construction Engineering, a Master of Science in Business and Administration, a Master in International Security and Strategy from King’s College London and is an alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies. 

His personal awards include the Norwegian Defense Medal, The Norwegian Defense Medal for International operations, as well as NATO non-Article 5 operational medals for the operations in which he has deployed. 

In August 2021 Major General Hagen assumed the position as Defense Attaché and Defense Cooperation Attaché to U.S. and Canada, at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. 

Major General Hagen is married to Anette and has two grown-up children.