This week, alongside celebrating the Change of Command and graduation ceremonies, the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) held its traditional end-of-Academic Year (AY) 2025/2026 Staff Meeting. The event served as an important opportunity to reflect on the year’s achievements and to express gratitude to those who went above and beyond in their duties.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks from the Commandant. He noted that BALTDEFCOL is a rapidly developing and growing institution, with both course sizes and the role of the College within NATO and beyond continuing to expand. He added that the digital transformation is an innovative initiative, and cooperation with other Professional Military Education (PME) institutions and NATO units is closer than ever. He said: "I am proud of what we have achieved and want to emphasise that none of this was individual work. It depended on professional discussion, cooperation, and the willingness of the College staff to contribute expertise and move in a shared direction. Thank you for your support, cooperation, and I hope the College will keep growing."

The end-of-year Staff Meeting has always been an important venue to show appreciation and bid farewell to departing colleagues. The Spring Semester of this academic year saw the successful delivery of various complex courses and major projects, including the Higher Command Studies Course, the Joint Command and General Staff Course, and the Civil Servants' Course. Furthermore, key College-wide initiatives were successfully executed, such as the annual Conference on Russia and the Combined Joint Staff Exercise JOINT RESOLVE.

The staff's contributions to these milestones were highly valued. To acknowledge this dedicated work, the Commandant presented awards to several staff members, alongside personal leadership appreciations for those who successfully guided their teams to excellent results.

For the sixth consecutive year, BALTDEFCOL staff voted for the peer who best exemplifies the College’s core values of Respect, Openness, Responsibility, and Social Conduct, as outlined in the BALTDEFCOL Code of Conduct. This year, the prestigious Best Staff Member Award was presented to Ms Kaisa-Liisa Jazõkov, Head of the Human Resources and Administration Section, in recognition of her outstanding service and dedication.

The meeting concluded on a poignant note as the College said goodbye to departing team members. As a token of gratitude for their invaluable contributions to BALTDEFCOL, all departing colleagues received a special farewell gift to remind them of their service and time spent here in Tartu, Estonia.

Congratulations to all, and a big thank you to the entire BALTDEFCOL family for an exceptional academic year!