Baltic Defence Study Trip successfully conducted

From 22 October to 27 October, the Joint Command and General Staff Course 2017/2018 and the Civil Servants Course 2017 together with the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) faculty conducted the Baltic Defence Study Trip. The purpose of the trip was to deepen the students’ knowledge on the defence policies and strategic plans of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

In each country, senior leaders from the Ministries of Defence and Joint Force Headquarters provided the students insights and perspectives from the strategic and political level. Students also received in depth briefings on the unique military capabilities, security issues, and NATO contributions of each county.

Vice Minister Giedrimas Jeglinskas, Ministry of National Minister of Defence Raimonds Bergmanis, Ministry of Defence of
Defence of the Republic of Lithuania Republic of Latvia (Photo by LVA MoD)

Commander of the Estonian Defence
Forces General Riho Terras

Besides educating the students on defence/security related topics, another significant goal of the trip was to provide them with a familiarization of the regional, cultural, and historical aspects of all three countries. The agenda included events specifically meant to provide the students a greater appreciation of each country. In Lithuania, the students explored old town Vilnius through a guided tour. In Latvia, the students visited the War Museum in downtown Riga. In Estonia, a member of the University of Tartu faculty provided a history of the country and its people. Additionally, in the evenings, Estonian, Latvia, and Lithuania students had a great opportunity to personally introduce their BALTDEFCOL classmates to their country’s capital.