THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
How to forge a common spirit to defend European values
Creating strength by joint higher military education Interview with Ilmar Tamm, Brigadier General, Commandant of the Baltic Defence College, Tartu
The European: General, you are the current Commandant of the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia. Your institution was founded in 1998 by the governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, years before these Baltic nations, until 1992 part of the Soviet Union, became members of NATO and later of the EU. What were the political and military objectives behind this foundation? Ilmar Tamm: Among the multiple political motivations, perhaps the essence of it was perfectly stated by former Estonian President Lennart Meri during the College’s inaugural ceremony on 25th February 1999: “Security is precious, and there is never too much of it”. The first Commandant of the College, Danish Brigadier General Michael Clemensen persuaded the Baltic States’ military and political leaders to step forward and invest in officers’ education along the lines of western military doctrine and thinking. And from a pragmatic point of view, a joint staff college for all three Baltic states in Estonia was cost effective and made it easier to attract support from allies and partners able to deploy instructors with proper knowledge and experience to dispense education to senior officers and civil servants. The European: What were the aspirations then in the first courses? Baltic or European or NATO? Ilmar Tamm: There was indeed a strong aspiration to become members of NATO (and the EU). The decision to conduct education in English and according to western standards helped to pave the way. The good news is that in 2022 there is still substantial international interest in the courses at the Baltic Defence College. The European: How many nations are you bringing together for the Joint Command and General Staff Course (JCGSC)? Ilmar Tamm: The JCGSC is designed for senior officers and civil servants. Breakdown by nationality varies annually, but on average, we have slightly more than 60 students from 14 or 15 nations, roughly divided between 75% of officers from the Baltic nations and 25% from other countries. The course aims to provide readiness to cope with command and staff officer’s assignments at operational and joint level. The course lasts
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from mid-August to mid-June of the following year and is made up of 12 modules. The European: Could you expand a little on its curriculum? Ilmar Tamm: The course commences with the principles of leadership and command. With mentoring and guidance by faculty, the students will gradually improve their skills, gain confidence and have opportunities to apply and practice leadership in different circumstances. The course offers deeper insights into regional security and defence, but also security matters relating to migration, non-state actors, cyber, technology and innovation etc. The overriding aim of the curriculum is to prepare officers to comprehend operational level planning and allow them to practice the planning process at Joint Task Force (JTF) Headquarters level. The European: What is the highlight of such a course in which each individual student has to show profile and skills? Ilmar Tamm: The course culminates every year in May in the three-week exercise “Joint Resolve” in cooperation with the Polish War Studies University. This is where students have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership and/or planning skills. The exercise is based on an artificial but rather realistic scenario that triggers the activation of an Article V operation in the Baltic Sea region. Students have assignments within Joint Operation Planning Groups (JOPGs) and are guided by retired flag officers as senior mentors, who play the role of JTF level commanders. As the exercise does not seek a prescriptive school solution, students are required to be creative and reflect reality while applying operational level planning processes.
is an indivisible wealth, “Security and it must be cultivated in the
spirit of close regional concord.” Lennart Meri, former President of Estonia
