Major General Palm: Adaptability Must Become Estonia's National Defence's Most Important Quality

Retired Major General Veiko-Vello Palm believes that the key question for national defence is not whether we are stronger than before, but how our defence capability adapts to the threat it was created to counter. In Palm's assessment, for Estonia, that threat is concrete: the Russian Federation.

Retired Major General Veiko-Vello Palm raises an important question: are we looking in the right direction when developing Estonia's national defence? In his view, the conventional self-assessment-that we are stronger than we were five or ten years ago-may be reassuring, but may not be the most appropriate measure.

The Right Question Is Adaptive Capacity

Palm emphasises that what matters more is to ask how our ability to cope with the specific threat that national defence was created to counter will evolve. This is a different approach compared to simply measuring resource or numerical growth. National defence should not only grow; it should grow in the right direction and at the right pace and with the right flexibility.

For Estonia, this threat is not abstract or hypothetical. Palm names it clearly: the Russian Federation. Based on this, all defence planning, equipment, and training should be tailored to the characteristics and developments of this specific adversary.

Why Adaptability Is Central

At the heart of the Major General's message is the importance of adaptability. Warfare evolves rapidly; drone technology, cyber warfare, and hybrid threats continually reshape the battlefield. If defence structures are rigid and slow to adapt, numerical strength can lose its meaning.

For Estonia's national defence, this means adaptability should be embedded in strategic planning, doctrine, and daily training. Palm does not present this as criticism of past development, but as a shift in priorities-going forward, adaptive capacity should be the most highly valued quality.