Areas of expertise: defence strategy and planning; regional defence cooperation; disruptive technologies, defence industry and innovation; societal resilience; energy security
Languages: Lithuanian, English, Russian
Tomas Jermalavičius holds a BA in political science from the University of Vilnius, an MA in war studies from King’s College London and an MBA degree from the University of Liverpool.
Prior to joining ICDS in the end of 2008, Tomas worked at the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL), first as Deputy Director of the College’s Institute of Defence Studies in 2001-2004, and later as Dean of the College in 2005-2008. In the latter capacity, he was also the editor of the journal ‘Baltic Security and Defence Review’. At BALTDEFCOL, he lectured and published articles on strategy, military theory, defence policy and civil-military relations. Tomas continues contributing to the College’s mission as its honorary fellow. During 2005-2008, he was also involved, as a lecturer, in the Prometheus Programme of Transition Studies at the Euro-College of the University of Tartu and post-graduate military diplomacy programme at the Lithuanian Military Academy as well as in various projects of the Estonian Academy of Young Scientists (ENTA).
In 1998-2001 and in 2005, he worked at the Defence Policy and Planning Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence, including the position of the department’s Deputy Director. At the end of 1998 – beginning of 1999, he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Swedish National Defence Establishment (FOA, now FOI).
At ICDS, Tomas deals with various aspects of defence policy and strategy, regional security and defence cooperation in the Baltic area, impact of emerging disruptive technologies on security and defence, energy security and societal resilience. Articles written or co-authored by him appeared in Defence Studies, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Lithuanian Annual Strategic Review, Austrian Security Strategic Review, Estonian Foreign Policy Yearbook, RUSI Whitehall Papers and Riga Conference Papers as well as in the publications of John Hopkins University, Joint Special Operations University, American Academy in Berlin, Latvian Institute of International Affairs, ARES-Armament Industry European Research Group and NATO Science and Technology Organisation (STO). Since 2017, he also has been a Visiting Professor at the Natolin Campus of the College of Europe in Warsaw, teaching a course on terrorism and hybrid warfare to post-graduate students.