BALTDEFCOL's Seminar on Military Transition

On the 18th of October the Baltic Defence College held a seminar on Military Transition aimed at exchanging experience between leading researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe. The focus of the seminar was concentrated on those issues of military transition that are likely to increase in terms of importance after a NATO invitation to the Baltic states: continued reform on all levels of military institutions and the relationship between the political and military leadership and expertise.

The presentation by Major General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz (Deputy Commander of the Polish Land Forces) and the comments by Ambassador Jüri Luik provided knowledge about the phases and difficulties encountered in the transformation of central staffs to be interoperable with NATO and simply to create efficiency.

An analysis of the difficulties Russian army reform after 1989 was given by Mr. Robert Nurick (Carnegie Moscow Center) and commented by Brigadier Janis Kazocins.

The important aspects of increasing stability of the systems of cadre development and management were at the core of Professor, Colonel Klara Siposne Kecskemethy (MoD Hungary) presentation and the intervention of Mr. Zdenek Dvorak (MoD Czech Pepublic).

Brigadier General Michael H. Clemmesen (BALTDEFCOL) outlined his viewpoints on the demands for military education reform. Col. Algis Vaiceliunas (Lithuanian Military Academy) added useful comments on the impact between the principles of the old and the new system of teaching.

The relations between the Ministries of Defence and the Military Staffs in Baltic states and the necessity of deepening their co-operation was underlined by Ambassador Jüri Luik commented by Professor Ole Kværnø (BALTDEFCOL).

Commander (RN) David Clarke (MoD UK) presented a general analysis of military institutional reform in Central and Eastern Europe.

Experts involved in defence policy formulation and implementation from the Estonian, Romanian and Hungarian Ministries of Defence and the Hungarian Embassy in Estonia contributed to the variety of viewpoints and approaches with regard to military transition.

The final seminar report and conclusions were drawn up by Mr Marc Remillard (Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces). The seminar provided better understanding of the common problems of prospective NATO members and the need to respond flexibly to the new security challenges.