Today, the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) Senior Leaders' Course (SLC) 2024 opened in Riga, Latvia, welcoming 36 Generals, Flag Officers, Senior Civilians, and other senior officers from 18 different nations to participate in lectures and discussions with senior defence officials, policymakers, and thought leaders from across Europe addressing the theme of "Strengthening Defence and Security in the Baltic Sea Region."

The Commandant of the BALTDEFCOL, Brigadier General Alvydas Šiuparis, gave opening remarks where he acknowledged that this year's SLC is the largest in the nine years since its inception and the importance of senior-level relationship building in today's dynamic operating environment.

The course participants will be mentored by General (Ret.) Jörg Vollmer, former Commander of Allied Joint Forces Command Brunssum and former Chief of the German Army, and by Major General (Ret.) Juris Maklakovs—former Commander of Latvian Air Force,  former Chief of Defence of Latvia and former Latvian Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.  

The class also received a keynote address from  Mr Rolands Heniņš, Undersecretary of State Policy Director, Latvian Ministry of Defence, and began round table discussions to set the context for the course's discussions.

The BALTDEFCOL's SLC 2024 takes place from 20-27 November and will culminate with a Joint Graduation Ceremony of both SLC 2024 and CSELC 2024 courses.