NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY OF LATVIA 

Why the National Defence Academy Is One of the Best Choices for Higher Education

When choosing a course of study, young people increasingly look not only at a degree, but also at a stable career, supportive teammates, and a steady income. The latest data on employment and income among Latvian college graduates confirm that higher education is an investment in the future. One place, however, offers strong support even while you’re still in university.

Opportunities for High School Students

The National Defence Academy of Latvia offers several events for high school students to explore National Defence Academy study programs, environment, and infrastructure, which can help them choose their future career path.

NDAL cadets’ visit to the Constitutional Court

On 29 October, cadets from the first cohort of the professional bachelor’s degree programme in ‘Land Forces Military Leadership’ will visit the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia. The visit includes two lectures. The first lecture will focus on the role of the Constitutional Court in safeguarding a democratic state governed by the rule of law, including issues relating to the institutional structure of the judiciary, the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court, constitutional review, bringing cases before the Constitutional Court, the initiation and examination of cases, and the force of the Constitutional Court’s judgments and their impact on the legal system. The second lecture will focus on the Constitutional Court’s current case law on protecting national security and the democratic state system. Consequently, the session will address issues concerning the balancing of national security interests and fundamental individual rights, the limits of the state’s discretion, the principle of proportionality, and the interpretation of the Constitution in the context of contemporary security challenges. A visit to the Constitutional Court’s historical exhibition is planned to conclude the sessions. The sessions are organised on the basis of a cooperation agreement between the National Defence Academy and the Constitutional Court.

The book “Democratic Resilience in the Baltics, Vol. 2.”

The book “Democratic Resilience in the Baltics, Vol. 2” (Springer Publishing House) is published as part of a joint cooperation project between the military academies of the three Baltic states. Researchers from the National Defence Academy of Latvia Centre for Security Research and Innovation co-authored “Democratic Resilience in the Baltics, Vol. 2”. Senior researchers Ieva Bērziņa and Jānis Bērziņš, as well as researcher Gita Leitlande, contributed chapters examining the resilience of the Baltic states. The book gathers perspectives from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on contemporary threats to democracy and solutions, as part of the Baltic Security and Defence series. The Open Access book is available for free download.

Download the e-book.

New books

The library has received a donation of books from the United States (43 boxes of books). The library's collection will be gradually supplemented with donated books covering topics such as the Cold War era and the history of espionage. The publications examine the activities of Western and Soviet intelligence services (including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Committee for State Security), their historical development, and specific operations. Some books are dedicated to the biographies of notable spies, the role of women in intelligence, special units and covert operations, as well as the phenomenon of ninjutsu. The collection is supplemented by works of fiction about war and espionage, as well as publications on the techniques and equipment used in espionage. The books are from the personal library of a Latvian émigré, which was built up over many years.

A new section has been added to the library’s online catalogue – ‘Donations Received’ – where you can view the latest donations added to our collection, read book descriptions, and check the availability of copies.

Access the online catalogue.

Historic NATO Naval Cooperation Flag – Gift to the National Defence Academy

The flag was gifted to the National Defence Academy in 2023 during the visit of U.S. cadets. It had belonged to U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.) Stephen H. Edwards, an officer of NATO’s Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) and commander of the ship “USS Furer DEG-6”.
The flag was presented after joint allied service as a symbol of friendship and was kept for more than 50 years in the family archive. It symbolizes NATO unity and allied cooperation.