What can other European countries can learn from Estonia’s approach to security, resilience and defense? How does a small country bordering Russia prepare itself for an increasingly unpredictable security environment? What does Estonia’s concept of total defence mean in practice, and how does it combine military preparedness with civil resilience, cyber security, reserve forces and public trust?
In an online discussion with Ekke Nõmm, we explored Estonia’s experience in confronting Russian hybrid and information warfare, the challenges associated with societal resilience, and the lessons of the war in Ukraine for modern defence—including drones, robotics and emerging technologies.
We also addressed some more difficult questions: How confident is Estonia that NATO would respond rapidly and decisively in the event of an attack? Can Russia exploit divisions within Estonia’s Russian-speaking community? And, ultimately, which elements of the Estonian model could realistically be adapted to Georgia, which faces Russian military presence on its occupied territories without the protection of NATO Article 5?
Speaker: Ekke Nõmm
Moderator: Kakha Gogolashvili