On October 2, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and the Embassy of Estonia organized an off-the-record strategy session on the implications of the Zapad 2013 Russian military exercises that occurred near the Baltic region in September 2013.

The strategy session addressed the details of Zapad 2013, the strategic motivations driving the exercise, and what the exercise meant for broader Nordic-Baltic security issues. Participants also discussed the exercise in relation to NATO, the Alliance’s upcoming Steadfast Jazz military exercise, and individual NATO members’ relations with Russia.

The event was a part of the Atlantic Council’s initiative on Nordic-Baltic Security, which aims to raise awareness in Washington on Nordic-Baltic security issues, provides a forum for informed discussion and debate on the region and its role in the world, and develops policy proposals on how greater regional cooperation can better address key foreign policy and security challenges.