ABCD 2025: Turning Europe into a Fortress

Today, the 19th Annual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD) begins in Tallinn, where discussions will focus on strengthening European security.

abcd.icds.ee

Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, and Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto will open the conference. Among the keynote speakers are Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Andrus Merilo, Commander of the British Field Army Lieutenant General Mike Elviss, Deputy Commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum Lieutenant General John Mead, CSIS programme director Max Bergmann.

“NATO is facing the most challenging period in its history, and it is clear that Europe must also prepare for worst-case scenarios,” said Kristi Raik, Director of the International Centre for Defence Studies (ICDS). “Europe’s task is to support Ukraine and build its own defence capabilities. We must become a fortress.”

“ABCD has been a forum for high-level security discussions for almost two decades. I am pleased that, for the first time, the conference is taking place as part of Estonian Defence Week, which helps bridge academic discussions, political expectations, and defence industry opportunities,” added Nele Loorents, ICDS researcher and conference director.

More information and the agenda: abcd.icds.ee
Estonian Defence Week: https://edw.ee/en/estonian-defence-week/

The conference, titled “Enemy at the Gate: Turning Europe into a Fortress,” will run from 23–24 September at Tallinn Creative Hub and will cover increasing NATO and EU military readiness, defence cooperation, hybrid threats, funding, and innovative solutions. The ABCD has been held since 2006, bringing together politicians, military personnel, and experts. The conference is part of Estonian Defence Week. Over 400 guests from more than 35 countries are expected to attend.

The Baltic Defence Conference is organised by ICDS and the Ministry of Defence, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The main sponsor of the event is DefSecIntel Solutions, and it is supported by Milrem Robotics, Diehl Defence, Kongsberg, KNDS, MBDA Systems, Patria, AMS, and Hanwha Aerospace.