KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mr Jānis Garisons
Strategic Leader in Defence and Resilience with Over Two Decades of Public Service
Mr Garisons is a board member of the Civilian Resilience Nordic (CiReN) organization. CiReN is an NGO aimed at strengthening society, especially the resilience of the non-governmental and commercial sectors, in times of crisis or war. He is also the Chairman of the supervisory board at the “State Real Estate” company.
Mr Garisons was the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Latvia for almost nine years (August 2015–January 2024) and was leading the MoD in the challenging times of enlargement of the Armed forces, military infrastructure, deployment of NATO eFP unite, the establishment of the comprehensive defence in Latvia and reinstitution of the conscription. Before taking up this post, Mr Garisons was the Undersecretary of State–Policy Director. He has worked in different positions at the Ministry of Defence since September 2005.
Before his career in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Garisons worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia from June 1996 until September 2005, and was posted at the Norwegian Embassy.
Mr Garisons has a Master’s degree in History from the University of Latvia and a Master’s in Strategic Studies from U.S. Army War College.
Annual Baltic Military History Conference 2024 Programme
OCTOBER 31
9:00-9:30
Registration
9:30-9:45
Opening of the Conference
BG Alvydas Šiuparis (Baltic Defence College)
Mr Hellar Lill (Estonian War Museum)
Welcoming remarks by the Commandant of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) and the Director of the Estonian War Museum
9:45-10:15
Keynote Speech
Keynote speaker Mr Jānis Garisons
10:15-11:15
Panel 1: Keynote Panel
Mr Jānis Garisons
MG Ilmar Tamm (Estonian Defence League)
BG Alvydas Šiuparis (Baltic Defence College)
25 Years of the Baltic Defence College and Its Place in PME
Moderator: COL (ret) Dr (hab) Zdzisław Śliwa (Baltic Defence College)
11:15–11:30
Coffee Break
11:30-13:00
Panel 2: Developments in the Contemporary PME in the Baltics
Dr Laima Bucevičiūtė (Vytautas the Great War Museum)
Changes in the Education of the Lithuanian Army During the Period of Accession to NATO
Ms Nele Rand, MA (Estonian Military Academy)
Military Education System for a Small-State Army – Estonian Case
Dr Martin Nassua (German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS), Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Bundeswehr Hamburg, Command and Staff College of The Bundeswehr)
Professional Military Education in Germany, 1919–2024
Moderator: Mr Hellar Lill (Estonian War Museum)
13:00-14:00
Lunch
14:00-15:30
Panel 3: Military Education in the Baltics During the Interwar Period
Dr Igor Kopõtin (Estonian Military Academy)
Russian Influences on the Estonian Military Education in the Early 1920s
LTC Rauno Viitmann, MA (Estonian Military Academy)
The Influence of the French École Supérieure de Guerre on Estonian Military Education and Doctrine During the Period 1920-1940
Dr Kārlis Dambītis (National Defence Academy of Latvia / Museum of the Occupation of Latvia)
Military Education in Latvia 1919–1940: Transforming With the New Era
MAJ (ret) Dr Gintautas Jakštys (General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania)
Training a New Type of Officer at the Lithuanian Military School 1919–1940
Moderator: Mr Art Johanson (Baltic Defence College)
15:30–15:50
Coffee Break
15:50-17:20
Panel 4: Experiences of Professional Military Education
Mr Valdis Kuzmins, MA (National Defence Academy of Latvia)
Creating “Mobile Corps”: the Latvian Army’s Attempt to Train Elite Units
Dr Eric Sibul
The Estonian Armed Forces and Battlefield Staff Rides
Dr Juris Ciganovs (Latvian War Museum)
Training of Latvian Army Officers-Specialists at the University of Latvia (1922-1940): Military Polytechnic Courses
Moderator: Tae Hoon Kim (Swedish Defence University)
NOVEMBER 1
09:00-10:00
Coffee & Gathering
10:00-11:30
Roundtable Discussions
On the second day of the conference, there will be round table discussions for invited guests and speakers. Further cooperation and possible joint projects will be discussed there.With more partners, developing international cooperation and coordinating activities is necessary for future projects.
11:30-12:15
Coffee Break
WHAT TO EXPECT
International Speakers
International military history conference with speakers from around the world.
Knowledge
Overview of the Professional Military Education in the Baltic Region, 1919–2024.
Insights
The evolution of Professional Military Education in the Baltic region.
