During your time here, the Baltic Defence College has placed a strong emphasis on expanding its network with international partners and other professional military education institutions. From your perspective, how have these evolving relationships, particularly our close cooperation with Ukraine, shaped the way the College prepares leaders for today’s security landscape?

The Baltic Defence College holds a unique position in the region, and during my time here I saw clear value in strengthening its recognition and cooperation with relevant institutions across NATO and beyond. That has included closer links with partners around the Baltic Sea, other professional military education institutions and, importantly, the National Defence University of Ukraine. These relationships have helped us broaden the way we educate leaders for today’s security environment.Cooperation with Ukraine has been especially meaningful. From the beginning of my term, there was mutual interest in deepening this partnership, and I believe we achieved that in a constructive and professional way. We supported Ukrainian officers through education at the College and through cooperation related to NATO standards, course design and defence education. At the same time, we have learned a great deal from Ukraine’s experience of educating and preparing officers under the most demanding wartime conditions.We also developed practical cooperation formats, including joint-level exercises with Polish and Finnish partners that involved Ukrainian participation. Altogether, these partnerships have strengthened the College’s relevance, expanded its voice within the wider professional military education community, and ensured that our future leadership development remains closely connected to the realities of the current security landscape.

Modernising the learning environment has clearly been a key priority during your command, highlighted by the introduction of dedicated roles such as our Digital Transformation Manager. What drove your vision to push for this digital transformation, and how do you see it shaping the future of the College?

Digital transformation was a clear priority for me because no modern defence education institution can remain relevant without making full use of contemporary technology. To ignore that would mean wasting time, energy and resources, and it would leave the College behind both administratively and academically. For me, modernisation was not optional; it was essential to fulfilling our mission effectively.From the beginning of my term, I wanted the College to take a deliberate and systematic approach. That meant not only giving top-down direction, but also building internal capacity by developing a critical mass of staff who understand these changes and can implement them professionally. I am proud that over the past few years the College has made significant progress and is now recognised as one of the more advanced professional military education institutions in this field.I see this transformation as a way to support—not replace—human judgement. Technology and machine-supported solutions can take over some routine work, allowing our staff and faculty to focus on more complex tasks that require analysis, professional expertise and human interaction. This is an ongoing process, but I believe we have established the right direction and a strong foundation for the College’s future development.

As you prepare to hand over command to Latvia, looking back at your time as Commandant, what do you feel has been your most meaningful contribution to the College? And what are your hopes for its next chapter, especially as it approaches its 30th anniversary?

Every Commandant leaves a different contribution, and when I arrived I quickly identified several priorities. One of the most important was infrastructure. The College has continued to operate in facilities dating back to its establishment, even as student numbers have grown significantly. I considered it essential to help build momentum for a long-term solution.I therefore worked closely with the Host Nation, Estonia, and with the other framework nations, Latvia and Lithuania, to underline the need for an infrastructure decision that matches the College’s growing role and future requirements. I am pleased that this process is now moving forward with a plan and timeline in place, and I hope the coming years will deliver an environment that fully supports the College for decades ahead.

Another meaningful achievement was securing additional positions for the College for the first time since its establishment. Those positions are now filled and already contributing to the institution’s effectiveness. I also see important progress in digital transformation and in updating educational models, particularly by strengthening strategic-level operational thinking in the Higher Command Studies Course. Most importantly, 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. Looking ahead, I hope the College will continue to grow as a modern, relevant, and collaborative institution as it approaches its 30th anniversary and enters its next chapter.