Baltic Defence College

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The Baltic Defence College (official acronym BALTDEFCOL, commonly also BDCOL) is a multi-lateral co-operative military college which educates officers from not only the three Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, but also from NATO and EU States and other European States as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Romania.

The core activity of BALTDEFCOL is the Joint Command and General Staff Course (JCGSC). It is in most aspects similar to other one-year Joint Command and General Staff courses. Since 2004, BALTDEFCOL has established the Higher Command Studies Course (HCSC), which is an officer education level four course. The Civil Servants Course (CSC) is also run to prepare civil servants for national security and defence policy work.

The first Commandant of the BALTDEFCOL, the Danish Brigadier General M. H. Clemmesen (Danish Army), retired from his position in December 2004. The post is now being rotated between the three Baltic states.

1998-2004 Brigadier General Michael Hesselholt Clemmesen (DK)
2004-2007 Brigadier General Algis Vaičeliūnas (LT)
2007- Brigadier General Gundars Abols (LV)

In May 2005, the first Commandant of BALTDEFCOL was awarded with the St Germain Gold Medal of the Danish Military Society, the citation also mentioning his initiative and work with the establishment and running of the college.