At the meeting the Defence Policy Directors also discussed future perspectives of the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic States and took into consideration ideas for potential new projects. Representatives of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence and the Joint Staff gave a comprehensive presentation on the possible new projects for developing and training land and air capabilities.

The meeting focused on the affairs of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) that will be celebrating the 15th anniversary this year in particular. The Defence Policy Directors discussed of an update of the Higher Command Study Course with regard to the trends of regional security issues and the global security environment that has fallen subject to particular changes over the recent year. Also, about the possible involvement of the Nordic countries in setting guidelines.

The Civil Servants Course on security and defence delivered at the BALTDEFCOL was also addressed at the meeting. The Defence Policy Directors put forward an objective of reorganising the course to make it more appealing to the Baltic States and to ensure that it responded to the needs of training civil servants employed in the areas of defence, security and foreign policy. A decision was made to initiate a broadscale seminar to address the BALTDEFCOL development plan till 2020 and the aims of the Baltic States in military training.

The 15th anniversary of the Baltic Defence College will be celebrated on February 27 in Tartu from where the institution is providing training for Baltic and other countries’ officers and civil servants working in defence sector. High-ranking guests from the Baltic States and other countries are expect to attend the conference and the reception organised to mark the occasion.

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