Tuesday, 24 September 

16:30-18:00

Pre-Events  

The Very Long Game: Global State of Defence AI (Room: Arcturus)

This pre-event will be dedicated to presenting a book published in July 2024 on 25 national case studies of how armed forces of various countries view defence AI; how they are developing AI-enhanced solutions, adapting existing structures and processes, and funding their defence AI endeavours; to what extent defence AI is already fielded and operated; and how soldiers and officers are being trained to work with AI (see free-access volume here). The session will also give a preview of the upcoming Estonia’s Defence AI Strategy.

Speakers:  

Dr Heiko Borchert, Co-Director of the Defense AI Observatory  

Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defenсe for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitization in Ukraine

Dr Michael Raska, Assistant Professor of Military Transformations Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University Singapore 

Mikk Raud, Deputy Director of Innovation Department, Ministry of Defence of Estonia 

Moderator: Tomas Jermalavicius, Head of Studies and Research Fellow, ICDS

The Future of European Defence Industry: Lessons from Ukraine (Room: Capella)

This pre-event will touch upon lessons learned for European defence industry from the Russia’s war in Ukraine. The session aims to answer the following questions: What specific practices and innovations have emerged in the defence industry? How can European defence manufacturers enhance their capabilities to rapidly produce and deploy advanced military technologies in light of ongoing conflicts? What are the challenges and how to overcome these. What best practices in logistics and supply chain management have been identified from the Russia’s war in Ukraine that can be applied to improve European defence readiness? How can collaboration among European defence contractors foster the sharing of technologies and practices to better respond to hybrid threats? What role does workforce development play in ensuring that the European defence industry can meet the demands of contemporary security challenges? 

Speakers: 

Marko Kaseleht, CEO, SensusQ 

Patrick E. Shepherd, Chief Sales Officer, Milrem Robotics 

Jaanus Tamm, CEO, DefSecIntel Solutions 

Kadri Tammai, Regional Director, Defence Innovation Accelerator North Atlantic (DIANA)  

Moderator: Rym Momtaz, Editor-in-Chief of Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe 

18:30-18:45

Opening Remarks

Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia 

18:45-19:45

Keynote Session: How to Deter and Defeat Russia? 

Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defence of Estonia  

General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, Chief of Defence of Lithuania

Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defenсe for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitization in Ukraine

Moderator: Robbie Gramer, National Security Reporter, POLITICO 

20:00-21:45

Dinner hosted by Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defence of Estonia 

21:45-23:15

’Night owls’ session by RAND Europe. New World, Old Dangers: Does NATO Need a New Nuclear Posture? 

Is NATO’s nuclear posture doing what it is supposed to do; does it need adjustment, or should member states (nuclear and non-nuclear alike) go back to first principles? 

Speakers:  

Łukasz Kulesa, Director of Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) 

Dr Paul van Hooft, Research Leader for Defence and Security, RAND Europe 

Dr Polina Sinovets, Founder and Director, Odesa Center for Non-proliferation (OdCNP), Odesa II Mechnikov National University 

Moderator: Dr Jakob Parakilas, Research Leader for Defence and Security, RAND Europe 

Wednesday, 25 September 

08:00-09:00

Breakfast breakout sessions 

Ukraine: Way Forward after NATO Washington Summit (Room: Arcturus)

After a difficult year, can Ukraine gear up for success with aid from the West? How can Europe support Ukraine further in order to win the war of attrition? What are the lessons of technological change of Russia’s war in Ukraine?  

Speakers: 

Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defenсe for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitization in Ukraine

Charles Fries, Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defence, European External Action Service (EEAS) 

Kaimo Kuusk, Permanent Secretary General, Ministry of Defence of Estonia 

Dr Daniel Szeligowski, Head of Eastern Europe Program, Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) 

Moderator: Rainer Saks, Estonian Foreign Policy Expert

World in Turmoil: the Global Security Flashpoints and Influence on Europe (Room: Vega)

What is the effect of out-of-area ongoing conflicts on Europe’s security? How can Europe better mitigate current security challenges and prepare for future ones? 

Speakers:  

Joslyn Brodfuehrer, Associate Director with the Transatlantic Security Initiative, Atlantic Council 

Dr Élie Tenenbaum, Director of Security Studies Center, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) 

Dr Michael Raska, Assistant Professor of Military Transformations Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University Singapore 

Moderator: Matthias Hespe, Policy Advisor Maritime Security, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)  

09:15-10:30

Keynote Session: Shifting Threat Perceptions

There is a unanimity about Russian threat to NATO and to the European Union that has not been seen in decades. Allies and Member States are also witnessing an increasing volatility on the global scale and many of these threats have a military dimension. However, divergences in threat perceptions remain. Perhaps they have even deepened. They reveal themselves most visibly via vast differences in the defence investments, but also in the military assistance to Ukraine. This has a potential for friction that poses a strategic threat to our unity. How are threat perceptions changing amongst Allies? Is the principle of “fair burden sharing” still relevant? What are the implications to NATO’s collective defence and to other core tasks? Is Europe ready for increased volatility within itself and around its periphery? Is there a sense of urgency or complacency?  

Speakers: 

Major General Wolfgang Ohl, Deputy Director-General for Military Strategy and Operations, Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany 

Lieutenant General Eric Peltier, Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy, Ministry for the Armed Forces of France 

Major General Nuno Lemos Pires, National Defence Policy Director, Ministry of National Defence of Portugal  

Moderator: Sven Sakkov, Ambassador of Estonia for Finland 

10:30-11:00 Break 

11:00-12:15

Session One: Europe´s Role in Strengthening Transatlantic Security: Leveraging from Institutional Collaboration 

What can Europe do to contribute more to transatlantic burden-sharing? Among a variety of global security concerns, how to maintain the United States’ strong involvement in Europe? How can NATO and the EU align their strategies, legal frameworks and policy instruments to counter multitude of threats? How can they leverage their combined industrial capabilities to enhance military readiness and what specific technologies should be prioritised? In what ways can they improve resource allocation and funding mechanisms to support joint defence initiatives, and what role does the defence industry play in this process? 

Speakers:  

Charles Fries, Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defence, European External Action Service (EEAS) 

Guillaume Ollagnier, Director General for Strategic Affairs and Disarmament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France 

Kusti Salm, CEO Frankenburg 

Moderator: Stuart Lau, NATO correspondent, POLITICO 

12:15-13:15 Lunch 

13:15-14:30

Session Two: Quo Vadis NATO?  

NATO capability requirements: from expectations to delivery 

How do NATO’s new regional plans address the current geopolitical landscape? Facing a revisionist Russia and having refocused on lessons learned from the Cold War era, has NATO done enough to adjust itself to the new security environment? In what ways can NATO enhance interoperability among member states to ensure that all allies can meet the new defence capability requirements effectively? What challenges do NATO allies face in terms of resource allocation, political will, and industrial capacity to fulfil the capability requirements, and how can these challenges be addressed collaboratively? 

Speakers: 

Karl Ford, Director of Defence Planning Directorate, NATO HQ 

Lieutenant General Krysztof Krol, Senior Advisor to the Chief of General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces 

Tiina Uudeberg, Undersecretary for Defence Planning, Ministry of Defence of Estonia 

Dr Iro Särkkä, Postdoctoral Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) 

Moderator: Dr John Andreas Olsen, Net Assessment Section, NATO HQ 

14:30-15:00 Break 

15:00-16:15 

Session Three: Will to Defend. Society and Defence 

What factors contribute to a society’s willingness to defend itself, and how can these factors be strengthened to enhance national resilience? How can governments and civic organizations effectively communicate the importance of national defence to the public and what role community initiatives can play in cultivating a culture of defence and security within society? What is the role of reservists, citizens and the private sector in national defence? What role does civic education play in shaping public perceptions, and how can educational institutions contribute to building a more informed and engaged society? How can the experiences and perspectives of veterans and active military personnel be leveraged? 

Speakers:  

Major General Andrus Merilo, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces 

Brigadier General Benjamin Ben Ari, Commander of the Military Reserve Forces, Israel Defence Forces 

Dr Heiko Borchert, Co-Director of the Defense AI Observatory  

Moderator: Susan Lilleväli, Undersecretary for Defence Readiness, Ministry of Defence of Estonia 

16:15-16:30

Closing Remarks: Way Forward  

Kaimo Kuusk, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Estonia 

Farewell words by Nele Loorents, Director of the ABCD