Baltic Defence College

Our Information Manager recently sat down with Brigadier General Alvydas Šiuparis as he prepares to hand over command after three successful years at the Baltic Defence College. 🤝

In this farewell interview, we look back at the key moments, unique challenges, and major achievements of his time in Tartu. Read now how he reflects on the College’s rapid development, our closer cooperation with international partners and Ukraine, and our digital transformation journey.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔! 🇪🇪 🇱🇻 🇱🇹

👇 Read the full feature here:
https://baltdefcol.org/news/looking-back-on-three-years-in-command-a-farewell-interview-with-bg-siuparis

Learning directly from the decision-makers! 🕵️‍♂️🛡️

Our 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐂𝐎𝐋 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬’ 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 international study trip continues! To get a first-hand look at how multinational headquarters and allies cooperate, our cohorts are moving forward along their parallel European routes.

Here is how their latest engagements unfolded on the ground:
🇮🇹 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤: 🎓 NATO Defense College (NDC)
The visit focused on the NDC’s vital mission of preparing future leaders through strategic education on transatlantic security. A major highlight was an engaging discussion on the security challenges facing NATO's Eastern flank, led by Senior Researcher Dr Olesya Vinhas de Souza.

🇩🇪🇳🇱🇧🇪 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤: 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄 & 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐂𝐎𝐌
Meanwhile, our central group spent a dynamic day in Belgium visiting two key installations. At Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), they received comprehensive briefings on the current security landscape and international cooperation. Following this, at NATO Allied SOF Command, the delegation was briefed on operational vision, future direction, and the partnership programmes essential for achieving unity of effort across the Alliance.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all our hosts, presenters, and researchers at NDC, SHAPE, and SOFCOM for their time, professionalism, and exceptional hospitality! 🙌

*Photo by NDC

Bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world operational reality.
As part of their curriculum, participants of the 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐂𝐎𝐋 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬’ 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩.
Designed to expose future leaders to multinational staff work and hashtag command structures, this year’s trip is split into two parallel tracks: Central Europe and Southern Europe.

Here is an update from the stops on our 🇮🇹 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤:🏛️ 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬: Our cohort visited Italy's leading institution for higher defence education, exploring its three core pillars: education, research, and strategic thought leadership. The students gained valuable insights into the Center’s academic portfolio, including its PhD and Master's programmes, alongside key research areas like strategic studies, leadership, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and defence innovation. This visit greatly enhanced our understanding of contemporary approaches to professional military education. To mark the occasion, BALTDEFCOL JCGSC Course Director, Colonel (OF-5) Ivo Mūrmanis, signed the Book of Honor, symbolising the strengthening of our institutional ties.

🇪🇺 Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI Headquarters: For their second stop, the delegation visited the headquarters of the European Union’s maritime mission, Operation IRINI. The Chief of Staff provided a comprehensive overview of the mission’s strategic goals, followed by a highly fruitful discussion. Our course participants were briefed on the humanitarian aspects of the mission, as well as how the EU actively enhances Libyan search and rescue capabilities through targeted training and mentoring.

We are extremely grateful to our hosts in Rome for their time, exceptional hospitality, and for providing our future leaders with such vital operational and academic insights! 🤝

| Ministero della Difesa