On 23–24 September 2025, Tallinn, Estonia will host the 19th Annual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD), organised by the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) and the Estonian Ministry of Defence. For the first time, ABCD will take place within the framework of Estonian Defence Week.

This year’s conference is titled “Enemy at the Gates: Turning Europe into a Fortress”, reflecting the urgent need to bolster European defence in light of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and shifting transatlantic dynamics.

ABCD 2025 will gather leading policymakers, military officials, academics, analysts, and media representatives to discuss:

What more NATO Allies and EU Member States must do to enhance military readiness and reinforce NATO’s collective defence;
The prospects and challenges of effective European defence cooperation;
How to finance our shared defence efforts efficiently and sustainably.

Since 2006, ABCD has served as a premier high-level forum for open and strategic debate on defence and security issues facing Europe and the transatlantic community.

- Location: Tallinn, Estonia
- Dates: 23–24 September 2025
- For updates, visit: abcd.icds.ee

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