Choosing to Win:
Building Confidence in Complexity
22-23 September 2026 · Tallinn · Kultuurikatel / Creative Hub
The 20th Annual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD), organised by the International Centre for Defence and Security and the Estonian Ministry of Defence, will take place on 22-23 September 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia. For two decades, ABCD has been a prominent regional forum bringing together policymakers, military leaders, and academics to discuss key issues in transatlantic, European, and regional defence.
Today, Europe is spending more on defence than at any point since the Cold War, yet the gap between defence needs and actual combat power has never been more consequential.
ABCD2026 titled “Choosing to Win: Building Confidence in Complexity” will examine what it truly takes to deter, defend, and prevail — drawing on battlefield lessons from Ukraine, taking account of the fractures in and strengths of the transatlantic alliance, and reflecting on the hard questions that surround escalation, endurance, and success.
For the second time, ABCD will take place as part of Estonian Defence Week (EDW), which ties together a series of events showcasing Estonia’s defence sector. This year’s Estonian Defence Week is titled “How to Win the Next War?” and will reflect developments on and off the battlefield. EDW takes place on 21-25 September and includes ABCD, a Defence Exhibition featuring local and international exhibitors, NATO’s Open Innovation Conference (NATO ACT), Defence Innovation Day (Tehnopol and NATO DIANA), the Estonian Defence Industry Symposium (EDIA), and hackathons and other side events.
