The Founding of the International Centre for Defence and Security

The story of how the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) came to be begins not in 2006, when the centre was officially established, but in the late 1990s, when Estonia was taking its first steps toward NATO.

The then-Minister of Defence, Jüri Luik, had served as Estonia’s ambassador to NATO in Brussels from 1996 to 1999, where he came into close contact with US think tanks, such as Carnegie and Brookings. From that experience grew an understanding that an independent think tank could offer an outside perspective on the shaping of foreign and security policy, and conduct research and analysis for which politicians, officials, and diplomats simply do not have the time.

Earlier, then-Foreign Minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves had established the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute (EFPI) in 2000–01, which never quite found its footing — shortly after its founding, Ilves left the government, and his successor, Kristiina Ojuland, did not take the project to heart. The Foreign Policy Institute languished; funding was scarce, and staff worked part-time. What the institution had been intended to achieve was never fully realised. The lessons learned from founding the EFPI made one thing clear: the ambition had to be greater, and the think tank had to stand on firmer ground in order to fulfil its aims.

In 2004, Estonia joined NATO, and plans to revive the establishment of a think tank that had been put on hold began to move forward again. A working group was formed, consisting of Lauri Almann, Madis Mikko, Indrek Kannik, and Riina Kaljurand, with Riina Kionka and Lauri Lepik contributing advice and effort, and occasional input from Jüri Luik and Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Indrek Kannik recalls that concept paper preparation began in the first half of 2005, but the process was slow and laborious. A government decision was needed, but it was not forthcoming, as the Centre Party regarded the project with scepticism. 

In January 2006, Lauri Almann, Madis Mikko, and Riina Kaljurand travelled to Washington to familiarise themselves with the working methods and funding models of US think tanks. It quickly became clear, however, that conditions in Estonia and the United States were incomparable. In America, many private foundations and wealthy individuals fund security research of global reach, often in line with their own political views. No such private capital existed in Estonia. It was, therefore, clear from the outset that the ICDS would need state support while retaining academic freedom — following the model of Sweden and several other European countries, where the state funds an institution but it remains intellectually independent. 

At the same time, the think tank’s name was decided. Several security-related name options were considered, but the winner was Rahvusvaheline Kaitseuuringute Keskus — the International Centre for Defence Studies. Over the years, the meaning of the letter ‘S’ in the English abbreviation shifted: studies was replaced by security, reflecting the understanding that defence cannot be discussed without security policy and internal security. 

Final government approval came only in the first half of 2006, when the outgoing Minister of Defence, Jaak Jõerüüt, began pushing the project ahead more intensively. Lauri Almann recalls that “the window of opportunity for founding the ICDS was open for only about three days.” The founding documents were sent to the Minister of Defence, who was in the Estonia Concert Hall for a signature. The plan was taken to the government on a pro forma basis by the next Minister of Defence, Jürgen Ligi. Riina Kaljurand drafted all necessary explanatory memoranda, statutes, and other founding documentation. Everything took place on symbolically significant dates: on 29 March 2004, Estonia joined NATO alongside Latvia and Lithuania. Lennart Meri’s birthday falls on that date, which is why the Lennart Meri Conference was initially held at the end of March. 

At the suggestion of Lauri Almann and Madis Mikko, Kadri Liik was invited to become the new ICDS director — though she was initially reluctant to say ‘yes’ until she was convinced that the institution would be genuinely independent in its work. The founding team was small: four to five researchers and around eight people in total. The first researchers were Eerik Männik, Tony Lawrence, and Kaarel Kaas; Merle Maigre, Maria Mälksoo, and Indrek Elling joined somewhat later, and Juhan Kivirähk handled sociological research. Lawrence, who continues to work at the ICDS today, previously worked in Estonia as a UK defence adviser. In the early years, the ICDS was located on Toomrüütli Street on Toompea, which Lawrence describes as two apartments joined together to form an office — physically small but an extraordinary place to work in terms of atmosphere. 

The ICDS had two main areas of work: research and the Lennart Meri Conference. From the very beginning, the focus was on analysis of Russia and the broader security landscape — the ICDS was not given to the “Russia hysteria” of which Estonia was occasionally accused in Europe. But the message, both at home and especially to the wider world, was clear: the Russian threat had not passed. In the early years, research covered topics including Estonia’s force structures, future force planning, estimating military casualties in conflict scenarios, and perspectives on Baltic air defence — the last of which was also the first truly international collaboration. Juhan Kivirähk conducted regular public opinion surveys; these later moved out of the ICDS, but the Ministry of Defence continues to commission such research to this day. It was decided from the outset that analyses had to be policy-relevant and rapidly usable, rather than studies taking years to complete, while still striving for academic rigour. 

The Lennart Meri Conference was established following the President’s death. Lauri Almann recalls that it was part of a broader Estonian ambition to “punch above its weight”, to “do something exciting in Estonia”, and to “be at the table, not on the menu.” Mikko affirms the same logic: modelled on the Munich conference, the aim was to bring decision-makers here — especially from the United States — to demonstrate that Estonia was not a ‘Russian oblast’ but an independent country with its own agenda. Longstanding US diplomat Ron Asmus provided invaluable assistance. The first LMC was held in 2007, when the ICDS was not yet a year old. Swedish diplomat Lars Fredén delivered a heartfelt keynote address. 

The conference set the tone for what the organisation became: while the regional focus is on the Nordic-Baltic area, the ICDS has never dealt exclusively with Baltic issues or Russia. In Almann’s recollection, the early conferences were “absolute top quality — a positive shock to everyone.” The conference’s prominence grew gradually; foreign affairs rose alongside defence policy, and cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deepened. The incorporation of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute under the ICDS further broadened the thematic scope. 

Over twenty years, the centre’s mission has remained the same: the ICDS is a place for independent intellectual work and internationally oriented debate on issues central to Estonia’s security. The ICDS also aims to inform policymaking in Estonia and among allies and partners. Riina Kaljurand recalls an episode from 2012, when a report on Baltic Sea security threats was published, recommending that Estonia seek observer status in the Arctic Council. Two Foreign Ministry officials subsequently came to her on behalf of the Minister and said, “This is Estonian foreign policy — it is our decision where we apply.” But the topic was later harnessed “to every cart”, suggesting that the ICDS had been thinking in the right direction. The ICDS does not make decisions, but sometimes its analyses and recommendations get ahead of policy. 

The story of the ICDS’s founding twenty years ago was recalled by Lauri Almann (Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence 2004–08), Riina Kaljurand (assistant to the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence), Indrek Kannik (adviser to the Ministry of Defence), Riina Kionka (diplomat), Madis Mikko (communications adviser to the Ministry of Defence, co-founder of the ICDS), and Tony Lawrence (ICDS researcher). Interviews conducted by Tallinn University history students Karin Kaup-Lapõnin and Tanil Kangur.