Security in the 21st century requires shared responsibility, technological resilience, and active youth engagement. This was the core message of the NATO Youth Summit, held today in Budva, organized by the Atlantic Council of Montenegro in partnership with NATO. <\/p>\n\n
Participants discussed the future of collective defense, the challenges of the digital age, the rebuilding of Ukraine, the role of partnerships, and the importance of the Western Balkans region\u2014sending a clear message: the future must be built together, responsibly, and with youth at the center of change.<\/p>\n\n
The panel \u201cThe Next Line of Defense: Youth Perspectives on Defence, Security and Spending\u201d opened a discussion on how young people perceive the challenges of modern security.<\/p>\n\n
Simon Baumann from NATO warned that money alone is not enough: \u201cMoney is a limited resource. What matters is how we use it,\u201d Baumann said, using a vivid metaphor: \u201cIt\u2019s like three people taking an Uber at different times\u2014it\u2019s smarter to go together. That\u2019s how NATO should work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Baumann also highlighted the gap between the public and private sectors: \u201cIn NATO, words mean political commitment, whereas in industry, everything starts only after the contract is signed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Agnieszka Homanska from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out the differences in threat perception: \u201cPerception of danger depends on proximity. Poland feels the threat daily, whereas that\u2019s not the case in Portugal or Spain,\u201d said Homanska. <\/p>\n\n
She also emphasized that previous generations failed to adequately educate young people about the importance of responsible alliance. Having grown up shortly after Poland joined NATO, Homanska admits she grew up with the belief that membership alone guaranteed security: \u201cWe were taught that America would solve everything. But an alliance isn\u2019t one shoulder carrying all the weight\u2014it requires shared commitment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n
\n Ukraine was the Focus of the \u201cBeyond the Battlefield: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Ukraine\u201d Panel<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n Krisztian Meszaros from NATO emphasized that while continued military assistance remains a priority, “long-term reforms are essential for achieving a lasting victory.”<\/p>\n\n Eoghan Gately from the European Youth Parliament highlighted that beyond political contributions, connecting young people across the continent through shared values and goals is crucial\u2014placing special emphasis on leaders\u2019 ability to truly hear young people.<\/p>\n\n Victoria Vdovychenko, head of the \u201cFuture of Ukraine\u201d programme at the Centre for Geopolitics, underscored Ukraine\u2019s vital role in European security.<\/p>\n\n \u201cUkraine contributes not only through low-cost drone manufacturing and joint production lines, but also through its highly motivated and professionally trained people,\u201d said Vdovychenko. She also shared her personal experience working with governments via the newly launched First Ukrainian Analytical Programme in the UK, calling on young leaders to start building professional networks now that will be critical in the years to come. <\/p>\n\n \n The Western Balkans \u2013 Vital to NATO<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n Stability, education, and cooperation are essential for the Western Balkans to move from stability to becoming a strong region. That was the central message of the panel \u201cSecuring the Region: Western Balkans from Stability to Strength,\u201d which featured representatives from NATO, civil society, and diplomatic missions. <\/p>\n\n Lone Kjelgaard from NATO\u2019s Advisory and Liaison Team (NALT) in Pristina noted that NATO has been present in the Western Balkans for three decades, evolving from a traditional security guarantor to a development facilitator, especially in the defense and security sectors.<\/p>\n\n \u201cNATO\u2019s strategic goal remains the same\u2014regional stability, mutual cooperation, and support for democratic control over armed forces,\u201d Kjelgaard stated. She highlighted NATO\u2019s presence in Kosovo through KFOR and NALT, as well as its active military offices in Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Kosovo. <\/p>\n\n Nick Kalams, a Democratic Development and the Western Balkans analyst, outlined three specific steps to strengthen the region. The most important, he said, is that countries must take responsibility for their own security\u2014regardless of NATO membership status. <\/p>\n\n \u201cNATO is strong because its members are strong,\u201d Kalams said, adding that military modernization and regional cooperation through joint academies and civil-military initiatives must become priorities.<\/p>\n\n \n NATO Partnerships and Disruptive Technologies Discussed in Two Panel Sessions<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n At the panel \u201cBuilding Bridges, Ensuring Security: NATO\u2019s Partnership in Action,\u201d participants stressed the need for deeper cooperation between the EU and NATO\u2014one that goes beyond statements and leads to actual reforms.<\/p>\n\n Henri Vanhanen, a Special Advisor in the European Parliament, pointed out that while there have been numerous declarations and joint statements on closer NATO\u2013EU collaboration, more tangible steps are needed.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWe need to know exactly where this cooperation is heading. Yes, we\u2019ve had exchanges, shared tables, coordinated actions, and of course, NATO and the EU already involve different actors. But NATO is more grounded in reality, while the EU is more of a political and economic union. Still, in the years ahead, this cooperation will become even more necessary\u2014not just better communication, but real reforms,\u201d Vanhanen emphasized.<\/p>\n\n Katja Lindskov Jakobsen, Director of the Centre for Military Studies at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, stated that there is a few different ways in which we can view the importance of partnerships for NATO.<\/p>\n\n \u201cPartnerships represent the identification of shared challenges, and in our report, we especially highlighted the value of listening \u2013 that NATO listens to its partners. That\u2019s a message we heard consistently across the various meetings we held. Partnerships, therefore, are not just relationships between NATO member states, but also with partners outside the circle of 32 members, which is especially important in the context of this panel\u2019s topic \u2013 building bridges. These bridges refer to a joint response to identified challenges and deepening cooperation between NATO and its partners. Some examples already mentioned this morning include hybrid threats, maritime security, counterterrorism, and strengthening resilience \u2013 all areas in which partnerships are crucial,\u201d said Jakobsen.<\/p>\n\n Artificial intelligence and new technologies are part of NATO\u2019s Artificial Intelligence Strategy, whose goal is to protect against the hostile use of AI. This was discussed during the panel \u201cBeyond the Firewalls: Youth, Innovation, Cyber and the Future of AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Irene Benito, an AI Officer at NATO, stated that disruptive technologies are already present today, and artificial intelligence is one of them.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWe know that globally we are in a race for disruptive technologies. This is a race for innovation and its application, and that\u2019s why it is an absolute priority for us \u2014 integrating these technologies into our operations in order to enhance our resilience, deterrence, and defense. We are doing that, for example, through our Artificial Intelligence Strategy. It was revised last year. Within that strategy, the priorities are crystal clear: to enhance our competitive edge in AI technology, to protect the Alliance from the hostile use of AI, and to ensure that we safeguard technological development so that our own technologies are not turned against us,\u201d said Benito, emphasizing that it is no secret that NATO uses AI to strengthen its own AI defenses. <\/p>\n\n \n Hybrid Threats in the Digital Age and Guardians of the Galaxy<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n Speaking about hybrid threats, Vlasta Zekuli\u0107 from NATO stated that the Alliance is currently working on a new strategy for hybrid warfare, which will, for the first time, be jointly written by both civilian and military teams to ensure a unified and more effective response: \u201cWe won\u2019t separate responses but unite them \u2013 because that\u2019s exactly how attacks come: simultaneously in both the civilian and military spheres.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Sofia Romansky, a Strategic Analyst at HCSS and coordinator of the GC REAIM project, discussing the use of technology in the war in Ukraine, explained that technology is indeed being used, but not in the way one might expect. <\/p>\n\n Marko Banovi\u0107 from the Digital Forensic Center of the Atlantic Council of Montenegro assessed that Russia and China are intensively exploiting institutional and social weaknesses in the countries of the Western Balkans to spread anti-NATO narratives and destabilize the region. <\/p>\n\n Banovi\u0107 warned that the region faces complex challenges that go beyond the borders of individual countries. “We have weak and politicized institutions, deeply rooted public distrust, ethnic divisions within and among countries, as well as limited cooperation among states,” he said.<\/p>\n\n According to him, all of these weaknesses are intentionally exploited by foreign actors, primarily Russia and China, to promote narratives that undermine democracy and stability. Banovi\u0107 highlighted that Russia employs a wide range of hybrid threats \u2013 from cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, and attacks on critical infrastructure, to organizing protests. <\/p>\n\n The panel “Guardians of the Galaxy: Space and the New Frontiers of Security” conveyed the message that space is not only crucial for the military.<\/p>\n\n Yannik Petry, a Space Intelligence Officer at NATO, stated that space plays a key role in NATO\u2019s security strategy. Petry emphasized that without space capabilities, modern battlefield systems would not be able to function. <\/p>\n\n \n NATO Youth Summit Challenge Winners on the Leadership of the Future<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n Alexander Krabbendam from the Netherlands, in his address, highlighted how studying ancient history inspired him to think about leadership from a different perspective.<\/p>\n\n “The leader of the future should embody those people \u2013 nurses, soldiers on the frontlines, diplomats in meeting rooms, philosophers shaping societal ideas,” said Krabbendam. According to him, a leader of the new era does not work for fame or wealth but out of sincere dedication to the community, family, and humanity. <\/p>\n\n Eojin Park from South Korea compared the process of building leadership skills to a social game, such as Dungeons & Dragons or chess. Her metaphor suggests that, just like in games, success in leadership depends on developing specific skills and thoughtful strategies. <\/p>\n\n “I realized that leadership is not uniform. There are different types of leaders, and I presented this through three archetypes: the one with appetite (ambition), the legislator, and the theorist \u2013 the explorer,” emphasized Park. Her message clearly indicates that leadership is not reserved for one personality type but encompasses a wide range of styles and approaches that complement each other. <\/p>\n\n Ileana Ionescu from Romania, the author of a video message that went viral as part of the competition, underlined the key message: radical empathy under pressure is not a weakness \u2013 it is armor. She believes that the leaders of the future will not act alone but will empower others, creating networks of collaboration instead of hierarchies of control. <\/p>\n\n \n The Strength of Youth for the Strength of the Alliance<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n By the end of the event, NATO officials agreed that young people are not passive observers but drivers of change.<\/p>\n\n “We cannot allow others to tell our story. That\u2019s our job,” said Krisztian Meszaros from NATO, urging young people to take responsibility for their own security.<\/p>\n\n Lone Kjelgaard, Chief of Staff of the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (NALT) in Pristina, emphasized that this event was particularly inspiring and educational for her, to the point that, as she said, it was the first time in her life that she took notes on her phone.<\/p>\n\n Kjelgaard stressed the importance of returning to NATO\u2019s core mission \u2014 the protection of the Euro-Atlantic area. However, as she added, it’s not enough just to know what needs to be communicated; it requires people, a political framework, and platforms to convey the message in the right way. <\/p>\n\n Fifth NATO Youth Summit was organized 25. 25. in Budva, and the conference was held for the first time in Montenegro.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Security in the 21st century requires shared responsibility, technological resilience, and active youth engagement. 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