International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS

07/10/2026

History shows that nations that successfully adopt new military technologies gain an advantage over those that fall behind. The rapid development of drones in Russia’s war against Ukraine illustrates this dynamic — artificial intelligence could be the next major shift, yet Europe risks trailing despite its ambitions for strategic autonomy.

Turning ambition into technological advantage will depend in part on whether Europe’s financial ecosystem can consistently support defence companies until they reach neo-prime scale, writes Tevian Thomson.

⬇️ New brief in the EU Defence Series.

Many past wars show that nations that successfully adopt and integrate new military technologies gain an advantage over those that fall behind in the race for innovation. The use of drones in Russia’s war against Ukraine illustrates this dynamic: both sides develop and deploy their technology at s...

07/10/2026

The Arctic has become an additional test of transatlantic cohesion after the Trump administration's claim to Greenland.

How would a Europeanised NATO defend the region?

The Arctic has become an additional test of transatlantic cohesion after the Trump administration's claim to Greenland. The Europeanisation of NATO serves two purposes in this regard: strengthening European confidence in solidarity with Denmark; and providing for a more dedicated European (and Canad...

06/10/2026

Europe’s demonstration of its added security value in the Arctic serves to impede US coercion of Allies with the hope of making the administration refocus on its real strategic rivals.

Donald Trump’s unprecedented claim to the territory of a NATO Ally is both an obstacle and an opportunity for an Alliance undergoing a historic shift of the defence burden to the Europeans, writes Henrik Larsen.

The Arctic has become an additional test of transatlantic cohesion after the Trump administration's claim to Greenland. The Europeanisation of NATO serves two purposes in this regard: strengthening European confidence in solidarity with Denmark; and providing for a more dedicated European (and Canad...

05/10/2026

Reconfiguring the European Defence and Technological Industrial Base (EDTIB) for a more European NATO is possible but, like all serious reforms, entails high political cost. It is unreasonable to hope that private companies will change their current behaviour without state-induced incentives and pressure.

Defence industrial bases are vital for security of supply to the armed forces, writes Torben Schütz, Research Director of EDINA (European Defence in a New Age).

Defence industrial bases are vital for security of supply to the armed forces. Forgoing domestic production risks industrial dependency, which describes the need for imports due to a lack of industrial or technological capability, and political dependency, which reflects the unwillingness of potenti...

05/10/2026

Two countries, one populist grammar: a corrupt incumbent, a compromised opposition, a public that trusts neither.

Léna Zentai compares Serbia’s and Hungary’s political situations.

For the first time since 2014, Serbia’s incumbent party looks vulnerable.

Serbia's snap election on 25 October has raised high expectations for a viable challenger. A victorious Student List, however, would enter government with an incomplete programme and face a deeply entrenched system. Such a win would say less about the future direction of Serbian politics, and more a...

02/10/2026

Rahvusvahelise Kaitseuuringute Keskuse (RKK) 2026. aasta 39. nädala uudiskiri. RKK teadurid kommenteerivad olulisi sündmusi ja suundumusi välispoliitikas ja julgeolekuvaldkonnas.

02/10/2026

Whether the Student List can achieve in Serbia what Péter Magyar achieved in Hungary remains an open question, depending as much on the movement’s strategy as on an electoral environment far less forgiving than Hungary’s.

For the first time since 2014, the Serbian incumbent party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), appears vulnerable to electoral defeat, or at least facing a close race, writes Léna Zentai.

Serbia's snap election on 25 October has raised high expectations for a viable challenger. A victorious Student List, however, would enter government with an incomplete programme and face a deeply entrenched system. Such a win would say less about the future direction of Serbian politics, and more a...

01/10/2026

"European security would be greatly strengthened if other European states took inspiration from the NB8 and created similar coalitions of the willing to address the host of pressing security problems facing the EU and NATO."

The Nordic-Baltic Eight are emerging as a model for the Europeanisation of NATO, writes Peter Viggo Jakobsen, Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College.

The Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) are emerging as a model for the Europeanisation of NATO. They have enhanced their political and military cooperation significantly since 2022 to address the growing threats of Russian aggression and....

01/10/2026

Up to 1.5 mn Russians have participated in Russia’s war of aggression since February 2022, of whom around 640 000 are still at the front in Ukraine.

Closing the common European space to them is in everyone’s security interest, argues Tetiana Fedosiuk.

Up to 1.5 mn Russians have taken part in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine since 2022. Three pathways to bar them from entering the EU are open today: national designations in the Schengen Information System (SIS), a visa ban in the 21st sanctions package, and a new standing category in the...

30/09/2026

From the front line in Ukraine, many Russian troops return home with a history of violence, weapons trafficking and looting, and with a sense of lawlessness and impunity.

Combat-experienced returnees are an ideal recruitment pool for sabotage and subversion, writes Tetiana Fedosiuk.

The EU has several pathways available today to bar them from entering. Using these tools would help deny Russian intelligence and security services, and their agents, operational freedom in Europe — while preventing violent and organised crime and enhancing internal security.

Up to 1.5 mn Russians have taken part in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine since 2022. Three pathways to bar them from entering the EU are open today: national designations in the Schengen Information System (SIS), a visa ban in the 21st sanctions package, and a new standing category in the...