BRS archive
Conference Program
International Annual Scientific Conference
THE BALTIC STATES AND REGIONAL SECURITY IN THE TRANSATLANTIC CONTEXT
March 18-19, 2026
18 March 2026
08:00–09:00 Participant registration (coffee/ tea)
09:00–09:10 Welcome address: Vice Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania
09:10–09:20 Welcome address: Commandant of the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
09:20–09:30 Welcome address: Vice-Rector for Studies and Research of the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
09:30–11:00 Monograph presentation
11:00–11:30 Coffee break
11:30-13:00 Panels I
13:00-14:30 Lunch break
14:30–16:00 Panels II
16:00–16:30 Coffee break
16:30–17:30 Keynote address
19 March 2026
08:00–09:00 Participant registration (coffee/ tea)
09:00–10:30 Roundtable discussion (with keynote speakers)
10:30–11:00 Coffee break
11:00–12:30 Panels III
12:30–13:00 Coffee break
18 March 2026
09:00–09:10 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė)
Welcome address: Vice Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania
09:10–09:20 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė)
Welcome address: Commandant of the Lithuanian Military Academy
09:20–09:30 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė)
Welcome address: Vice-Rector for Studies and Research of the Lithuanian Military Academy
09:30–11:00 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė)
Presentation of the book “Democratic Resilience in the Baltics”
Chair: Prof.dr. Rasa Smaliukienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- “Democratic Resilience in the Baltics”: Editor’s Introduction
Prof. dr. Rasa Smaliukienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Strengthening Energy Resilience in the Baltic States: The Road from Isolation to Euro-Atlantic Integration
Dr. Justinas Juozaitis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Modelling and Measuring Resilience: Some Methodological Considerations in the Case of Estonia
Dr. Viljar Veebel, Baltic Defence College (Estonia) - Conspiracy Beliefs and Cognitive Resilience in the Baltic States
Dr. Jānis Bērziņš, National Defence Academy of Latvia (Latvia) - Jurisdictional Resilience and Crisis Management
Habil. prof. dr. Alvydas Šakočius, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
11:00–11:30 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė) Coffee break
PANELS I
11:30-13:00 Venue: room 412
From Collective Defence to Societal Resilience: Security Strategies in Small States
Chair: PhD Candidate Dovydas Rogulis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- The Logic of the Synthesis of Collective and Total Defense in Lithuania.
Dr. Giedrius Česnakas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Estonia: Can small states afford necessary defense costs to adapt to modern hybrid and total warfare needs?
Dr. Viljar Veebel, Baltic Defense College (Estonia) - Societal resilience to hybrid threats: perceptions of Lithuanian parliamentarians.
Viktorija Gaspariūnaitė, Independent researcher (Lithuania) - Who Will Defend Lithuania in Case of Need? Civil Society’s Subjective Perception
Dr. Vida Česnuitytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - La Nouvelle Levée en Masse: Between Total Mobilization and Cyber Resilience in the
Baltics
Dr. Lina Vidauskytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
11:30-13:00 Venue: room 435
Strategic Narratives and Cognitive Warfare in Contemporary Great Power Competition
Chair: Dr. Šarūnas Rinkevičius, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- Russia’s Cognitive Warfare against Ukraine (2014–2025): Narrative Architecture and Instruments of Strategic Influence (Online)
PhD Candidate Vadym Bespeka, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine) - The conclusions Russia has drawn from its war against Ukraine.
Dr. Daivis Petraitis, Baltic Defense College (Estonia) - Is the Dragon Coming This Time? – The Rationales behind the CCP’s Decision-making over Its Military Foreign Policy.
Jiabin Song, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)
11:30–13:00 Venue: room 417
Democracy, Regional and International Solidarity under Contemporary Geopolitical Pressure
Chair: Dr. Ringailė Kuokštytė,General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- Wartime Democracy: the evolution of the Ukrainian case in the context of Russian military aggression
Dr. Konstantinas Lotiuk, Klaipėda University (Lithuania) - Narrating Social Resilience: Media Framing, Solidarity, and Strategy in Georgian-Lithuanian Relations.
Magda Devadze, Dr. Beata Grebliauskiene, Vilnius University (Lithuania) - External Threats and Security Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region: Revisiting the Security Community Concept
Lauren Kook, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna / University of Vienna (Austria) - Do Defence Volunteers Think Differently? A Moral Foundations Comparison of KASP and Civilian Benchmark Data
Dr. Monika Maminskaitė, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)
13:00-14:30 Lunch break
PANELS II
14:30–16:00 Venue: room 412
Emerging Defence Technologies and the Future Battlespace
Chair: Dr. Aidas Vasilis Vasiliauskas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- Cognitive Warfare in the Age of AI.
Dr. Anshu Roy, Rhombus Power (United States) - Retrospective review of unmanned systems used by the Russian Armed Forces in the full-scale war against Ukraine, 2022–2026.
Lieut. Andrii Dzikovskyi, Col. Viktor Strinada, Korolov Military Institute of Zhytomyr (Ukraine) - Scientific and Technical Support for the Development of New Electronic Warfare (EW) Samples.
Lieut. Col. dr. Petro Borysov, Korolov Zhytomyr Military Institute (Ukraine) - Cloud Services in the National Security Context: Opportunities for Defense and Resilience
Simona Petrauskaitė, dr. Olga Navickienė; General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Strengthen NATO’s cyber resources by improve the reservist mobilization
Dr. Benoît Lopez, French Air and Space Force Academy (France)
14:30–16:00 Venue: room 435
Defending Small States: Leadership, Paramilitary Forces, and Security Guarantees
Chair: Dr. Danguolė Bardauskaitė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- Leadership as a “Weapon” of Small States
Dr. Ausra Park, Siena University (United States) - Changing Role of the Paramilitary in Defence Strategies of Small States: Lithuanian and Estonian experience
Assoc. prof. Vytautas Isoda, PhD, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Security Guarantees for Foreign Policy Change? The Case of German Military Deployment to Lithuania
Dr. Justinas Juozaitis, mjr. Darius Kontrimas; General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Understanding Armenia’s Territorial Defence System through the Concept of Strategic Culture (Online)
Ilaha Chiragova, Khazar University (Azerbaijan) - The Nordic-Baltic Model of Military Support to Ukraine: Formation of a Regional Security Coalition (2022–2025)
Second Lieut. dr. Serhii Rudko, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
14:30–16:00 Venue: room 417
Constructing Security Through Narratives: Russian Information Influence and Strategic Communication
Chair: Dr. Irmina Matonytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania).
- Mapping Russian-Led Information Narratives Against Lithuania: A Systematic Taxonomy
Dr. Liutauras Ulevičius, Vilnius University (Lithuania) - When does an Alternative Cease to Be Thinkable? Strategic Communication and the construction of security rationality
Mjr. Marius Paukštas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Quantifying Influence: Dissemination of Pro-Russian Propaganda Narratives and Audience Engagement in Lithuania’s 2024 Elections
Vidmantė Krušinskaitė, Vilnius University (Lithuania) - Understanding Russia’s Domestic Information Environment: the Portrayal of the War in Ukraine in Regional Media
Simona Uksaitė, Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lithuania)
16:00–16:30 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė) Coffee break
16:30–17:30 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė)
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: “Combatting Russia’s New Generation Warfare Campaign in Europe”
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (United States)
19 March 2026
09:00–10:30 Venue: Officers’ Club (Ramovė)
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: “Adjusting to Change: The Baltic States and Shifts in Transatlantic Security Relations”
Chair: Dr. Giedrius Česnakas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Benjamin Friedman, Defense Priorities (USA)
Dr. Gintas Karalius, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Dr. Ausra Park, Siena University (USA)
Dr. Toms Rostoks, National Defence Academy of Latvia (Latvia)
Peter Rough, Hudson Institute (USA)
Tomas Godliauskas, Minister of National Defence (Lithuania)
10:30–11:00 Officers’ Club (Ramovė) Coffee break
Panels III
11:00–12:30 Venue: room 412
Latest Trends and Developments in the Transatlantic Institutional Architecture
Chair: Assoc. prof. Vytautas Isoda, PhD, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- The EU Contribution to Transatlantic Security and Defence
Dr. Ieva Karpavičiūtė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - The Distributional Politics of EU Defence Integration: Evidence from European Defence Fund
Dr. Ringailė Kuokštytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - European Defence Without the Transatlantic Anchor: A Two-Dimensional Model of Administrative Capacity and Capability
Dr. Mantas Bileišis, Svajūnė Ungurytė-Ragauskienė, Mykolas Romeris University, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - NATO Enlargement from Ukrainian Perspective
Vladyslav Shestopalov, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania) - NATO Membership and Defense Spending: A Causal Analysis
Vainius Indilas, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
11:00–12:30 Venue: room 435
Societal Foundations of Defence: Education, Civil–Military Relations, and Resilience
Chair: Col. Ret. Gintaras Bagdonas, Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology (Lithuania)
- Debating Gender-Neutral Conscription in Latvia: Official Views and Public Attitudes
Dr. Toms Rostoks, Guna Gavrilko, Latvia’s Military Academy (Latvia) - The undiscovered soft frontline of Baltic Region security: private sector within psychological resilience. Study of institutionalization potential of 10 private companies in Latvia (2019–2024)
Lita Juberte-Krūmiņa, Riga Stradiņš University (Latvia) - Development of Military Training in Educational Institutions (Online)
Lieut. Col. Nazar Balitskyi, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine) - Language as a Component of Societal Resilience: Military Education and Interoperability in Wartime Ukraine (Online)
Mjr. Anastasiia Piddubna, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine) - Weaponizing Heritage: The Instrumentalization of Ukrainian Museums as Tools of Cognitive Warfare and Historical Propaganda (Online)
Lieut. Col. Vita Shkorubska, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
11:00–12:30 Venue: room 417
Transatlantic Security after 2022: Strategic Change and National Responses
Chair: Dr. Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
- External pressures, Internal Constraints and the Development of German Defense and Security Policy After ‘Zeitenwende’: Between Continuity and Change
Dr. Justinas Juozaitis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - Sweden Between the Baltic and the North: Security Debates Before NATO Accession and Adaptation After
Dr. Danguolė Bardauskaitė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania) - The Recalibration of U.S. Transatlantic Policy under Trump’s Second Term and Its Implications for the Baltic States
Dr. Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania). - Lithuania and Central Europe in the light of the recent security situation in Europe
Dr. Šarūnas Rinkevičius, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
12:30–13:00 Officers’ Club (Ramovė) Coffee break
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Chairman:
doc. dr. Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Members:
dr. Danguolė Bardauskaitė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Vidmantė Giedraitytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Assoc. prof. Vytautas Isoda, PhD, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Justina Katinienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Ringailė Kuokštytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Erika Lenkaitienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Olga Navickienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
PhD Candidate Dovydas Rogulis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Toms Rostoks, National Defence Academy of Latvia
dr. Aidas Vasilis Vasiliauskas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Chairman:
doc. dr. Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Members:
dr. Maris Andžans, Director of Center for Geopolitical Studies Riga
dr. Danguolė Bardauskaitė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
habil. dr. Jacek Dworzecki, Academy of the Police Force in Bratislava (Slovakia)
doc. dr. Vidmantė Giedraitytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Assoc. prof. Vytautas Isoda, PhD, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
Igor Kopõtin, Estonian National Defence College
dr. Ringailė Kuokštytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Asta Maskoliūnaitė-Rootsi, Baltic Defence College
dr. Olga Navickienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Ausra Park, Siena University, USA
dr. Daivis Petraitis, Baltic Defence College
PhD Candidate Dovydas Rogulis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
dr. Toms Rostoks, National Defence Academy of Latvia
dr. Fernando Ruiz, The Royal Military Academy of Belgium
dr. Aidas Vasilis Vasiliauskas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of
BRS speakers
Col. Ret. Gintaras Bagdonas, Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology (Lithuania)
Lieut. col. Nazar Balitskyi, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
Dr. Danguolė Bardauskaitė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
PhD Candidate Vadym Bespeka, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
Dr. Mantas Bileišis, Mykolas Romeris University; General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Lieut. col. dr. Petro Borysov, Korolov Zhytomyr Military Institute (Ukraine)
Ferdinand Brousek, Theresen Military Academy (Austria)
Ilaha Chiragova, Khazar University (Azerbaijan)
Doc. dr. Giedrius Česnakas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Vida Česnuitytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Magda Devadze, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Lieut. Andrii Dzikovskyi, Korolov Zhytomyr Military Institute, (Ukraine)
Dr. Jacek Dworzecki, The Military University of Land Forces in Wroclaw (Poland)
Jakob Enzelsberger, Theresen Military Academy (Austria)
Benjamin Friedman, Defense Priorities (USA)
Viktorija Gaspariūnaitė, Independent researcher (Lithuania)
Guna Gavrilko, Latvia’s Military Academy (Latvia)
Tomas Godliauskas, Vice Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Beata Grebliauskiene, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Lieut. col., Ph. D. Eng. Małgorzata Grzelak, Military University of Technology (Poland)
Prof. Šárka Hošková-Mayerová, University of Defence (Czezk Republic)
Vainius Indilas, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Assoc. prof. Vytautas Isoda, PhD, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Doc. dr. Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Justinas Juozaitis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Gintas Karalius, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Lauren Kook, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Austria)
DSc, Eng. Ret. col. Kazimierz Kowalski, Assistant Professor of Military University of Land Forces (Poland)
Lita Juberte-Krūmiņa, Riga Stradiņš University (Latvia)
Dr. Ieva Karpavičiūtė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Mjr. Darius Kontrimas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Vidmantė Krušinskaitė, Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science, (Lithuania)
Dr. Ringailė Kuokštytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Benoît Lopez, French Air and Space Force Academy (France)
Dr. Konstantinas Lotiuk, Klaipėda University (Lithuania)
Dr. Serhii Maidaniuk, Odesa Military Academy (Ukraine)
Dr. Martinas Maluzinas, University of Technology (Poland)
Dr. Monika Maminskaitė, Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute of Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)
Dr. Irmina Matonytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Rear Admiral (ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (United States)
Dr. Olga Navickienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Ausra Park, Siena University (USA)
Mjr. Marius Paukštas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Daivis Petraitis, Baltic Defense College (Estonia)
Simona Petrauskaitė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Mjr. Anastasiia Piddubna, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
Dr. Šarūnas Rinkevičius, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Anshu Roy, Rhombus Power (USA)
PhD Candidate Dovydas Rogulis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Toms Rostoks, National Defence Academy of Latvia (Latvia)
Peter Rough, Hudson Institute (USA)
Second Lieut. dr. Serhii Rudko, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
Armin Rumpler, Theresen Military Academy (Austria)
Assoc. Prof. Marek Sedlačík, University of Defence(Czezk Republic)
Dr. Oleh M. Semenenko, National Aviation University (Ukraine)
Vladyslav Shestopalov, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)
Lieut. Col. Vita Shkorubska, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy (Ukraine)
Victoria Siverska, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University (Ukraine)
Prof. dr. Rasa Smaliukienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Jiabin Song, Centre for Asian Studies Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)
Col. Viktor Strinada, Korolov Military Institute of Zhytomyr (Ukraine)
Dr. Kevin D. Stringer, Baltic Defense College (Estonia)
Dr. Andrzej Szabaciuk, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland)
Habil. prof. dr. Alvydas Šakočius, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Assoc. Prof. PhD. Elida T. Todăriță, ”Nicolae Balcescu” Land Forces Academy (Romania)
Simona Uksaitė, Lithuanian Armed Forces Strategic Communication Department; Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences (Lithuania)
Doc. Liutauras Ulevičius, Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Svajūnė Ungurytė-Ragauskienė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Prof. dr. Aidas Vasilis Vasiliauskas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Dr. Viljar Veebel, Baltic Defense College (Estonia)
Dr. Lina Vidauskytė, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (Lithuania)
Florian Weninger, Theresen Military Academy (Austria)