Estonia appoints next representative to NATO Stratcom Center in Riga
Estonia will send Lt. Col. Colonel Margus Valdre to serve as the country's next deputy director at NATO's Strategic Communications Center of Excellence in Riga.
The move comes after uncertainty last year over whether Estonia could fund the post.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) had said at the end of 2024 that Estonia lacked the resources to send a representative, prompting concerns among Latvian leaders who hoped to expand the center. The Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) confirmed the appointment earlier this year.
On July 25, President Alar Karis promoted Valdre to lieutenant colonel in connection with the assignment.
Valdre, who completed conscription service in 2000 at the Narva-Jõesuu Border Guard Training Center, has served as a press officer at the Border Guard Board, in the press service of the Joint Headquarters of the EDF, at the EDF's Military Intelligence Center, and with the Estonian Division. He is currently section chief at the Cyber and Information Operations Center within the EDF Cyber Command.
He has served in three foreign operations: in Iraq as an information officer, Afghanistan as a psychological operations officer and Israel as a UN military observer. Valdre holds a bachelor's degree in public administration, with a minor in public relations, from the University of Tartu, a master's in political science from the Central European University specializing in political communication, and a bachelor's in cybersecurity technologies from Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech).
He also completed senior staff officers' training at the Baltic Defense College in 2020, and has undergone additional training in strategic communications, intelligence and cyber operations.
Estonia's previous representative, Einar Linn, left the center in 2024.
Sending a representative to the center costs about €150,000 a year, plus a €25,000 annual membership fee. By comparison, Latvia invests nearly €3 million annually in the center.
The EDF emphasized the strategic value of the post, noting that the center offers a unique opportunity to work in an international environment.
"Information conflicts are persistent and evolving, and new technologies allow for mass production and dissemination of information aimed at influencing decisions, shaping political environments and creating opportunities for various attacks, whether in the information space or in the physical domain," spokespeople said.
Strategic communications connects multiple fields, they noted, and the center in Riga allows Estonia to both learn from allies and share its expertise through various projects and initiatives.
The EDF also stressed that filling the deputy director position at the center provides both better access to developments in NATO's stratcom domain.
"Given the dynamics of modern conflicts, where information operations play a key role in shaping the environment, contributing military expertise to the center is important for all of Estonia," it said.
The NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence in Riga is a multinational military organization accredited by NATO but independent of its command structure, contributing to the alliance's strategic communications capabilities. It was founded in 2014 by Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and the U.K.
Other countries, including Finland, Sweden, Canada and the U.S., joined in subsequent years, with France and Australia currently in the accession process.
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Editor: Valner Väino, Aili Vahtla
