International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS

05/06/2026

Last week, International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) had the pleasure of hosting Dr Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang, CEO of Taiwan’s Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) and Director of its Economic Security Research Programme, for a discussion on de-risking the supply chains of AI and drones, and laying foundation for technological cooperation between the Taiwanese and Estonian innovation ecosystems.

Enhancing international cooperation between like-minded countries in security, defence, and technology development is a major thrust of effective response to geopolitical turbulence and uncertainty.

We look forward to continuing and expanding our contacts with the colleagues at DSET.

05/06/2026

European space governance has evolved significantly in recent years, with higher ambitions but also greater complexity.

Yet more is needed in response to escalating Russian and Chinese threats in space and amid uncertainty over relations with the US, writes Alessandro Marrone, Head of Defence, Security, and Space Programme at the Istituto Affari Internazionali.

Outer space is getting much closer to the defence of Europe than it used to be. In recent years, a number of factors have converged to make space an enabler for military operations on Earth, a war-fighting domain in its own right, and an arena of strategic competition in which the US, Russia, and Ch...

04/06/2026

Germany must rearm and redefine its strategic culture for a Europe no longer at peace.

Luca Rogers and Felix Gasper write on the Bundeswehr's shift from a post-Cold War model to a conventional force.

Germany has published its first-ever comprehensive military concept, which envisions the Bundeswehr becoming the strongest conventional army in Europe. But Germany's struggles with implementing its Zeitenwende illustrate the difficulty it sometimes has in turning vision into reality.

03/06/2026

For years, the Kremlin has undermined European security through energy dependence, opposition to EU anti-monopoly measures, strategic corruption, and elite capture.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow’s energy weaponisation strategy has reached its logical apex, writes Benjamin L. Schmitt, Senior Fellow at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Nearly all Baltic Sea states have recognised and prepared to weather the Kremlin’s energy security storms over the past two decades—but with a global energy crisis underway, the region will need to continue its steadfast efforts to maintain calm among the maelstroms.

03/06/2026

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞

The International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) is pleased to announce that Dr Steven Blockmans assumed the position of Deputy Director and Head of the Foreign Policy Programme in June 2026, following his previous role as Senior Fellow.

“I’m thrilled to step up my engagement with the ICDS and join the management team. The ICDS is a young and vibrant policy research institute which is widely recognised as the premier think tank of the Baltics. In an era marked by complex transnational challenges, international cooperation matters more than ever. Going forward, I would like the foreign policy programme to equip policymakers in Europe with more diverse and evidence-based insights and actionable recommendations to promote better international relations for a continent and world in transition,” said Steven Blockmans.

Dr Blockmans is also an Associate Senior Research Fellow and previously the Research Director at the CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies). He is a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges, Natolin & Tirana), and Editor-in-Chief of the European Foreign Affairs Review.

03/06/2026

Germany’s 2022 Zeitenwende, followed now by its first comprehensive military defence concept, suggests growing seriousness about defending Germany and Europe.

But the real test is implementation, not ambition, write Luca Rogers and Felix Gasper.

Germany has published its first-ever comprehensive military concept, which envisions the Bundeswehr becoming the strongest conventional army in Europe. But Germany's struggles with implementing its Zeitenwende illustrate the difficulty it sometimes has in turning vision into reality.

03/06/2026

Up until March, discussion in Russia's expert circles was not about whether Russia would win, but when and how.

This spring has brought a marked shift in mood among the expert community, writes Igor Gretskiy.

While Kremlin propagandists continue projecting confidence about the outcome of the war against Ukraine, this spring has brought a marked shift in mood among Russia's expert community. The scenario in which Russia achieves its objectives has ceased to be their default assumption.

02/06/2026

Russia achieving its objectives is no longer the default assumption among the country's experts.

For the first time in four years, Kremlin-adjacent commentators appear to have concluded that the Ukrainian state cannot be destroyed, writes Igor Gretskiy.

While Kremlin propagandists continue projecting confidence about the outcome of the war against Ukraine, this spring has brought a marked shift in mood among Russia's expert community. The scenario in which Russia achieves its objectives has ceased to be their default assumption.

02/06/2026

In a system built on consensus rather than majority voting, having a seat at the table can matter as much as having a vote, write Steven Blockmans and Michael Emerson.

Rejecting a ‘membership light’ offer because of its negatively perceived symbolism means failing to take advantage of valuable deliberative and participatory rights in the EU. In a system built on consensus rather than majority voting, having a seat at the table can matter as much as having a vo...