21st century security requires shared responsibility, technological resilience and active involvement of young people. This is the general message of the NATO Youth Summit, which was held today in Budva, organized by the Atlantic Council of Montenegro (ASCG), in partnership with the Alliance.
"The participants discussed the future of collective defense, the challenges of the digital era, the reconstruction of Ukraine, the role of partnerships and the importance of the Western Balkans region, sending a clear message: the future must be built together, responsibly and with young people at the center of change," ASCG announced.
The panel "The Next Line of Defense" opened a discussion on how young people see the challenges of modern security.
NATO's Simon Bauman warned that money alone is not enough:
"Money is a limited resource. How we use it is crucial," said Baumann, adding, figuratively: "It's like three people taking an Uber at different times - it's smarter for them to go together. That's how NATO should work."
Bauman also highlighted the gap between the public and private sectors: "In NATO, words mean political commitment, while in industry everything begins only with the signing of a contract."
Agnieszka Homanska from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed to differences in threat perceptions:
“The perception of danger depends on proximity. Poland feels threatened every day, while this is not the case in Portugal or Spain,” Homanska said. She also stressed that previous generations failed to educate young people enough about the importance of responsible alliances. Growing up just after Poland joined NATO, Homanska admits that she grew up with the feeling that membership in itself was a guarantee of security. “We were taught that America would solve everything. But an alliance is not one shoulder that carries everything – it requires a shared commitment.”
The reconstruction of Ukraine was the focus of the “Beyond the Battlefield” panel
NATO's Krisztian Meszaros said that military assistance remains the priority, but that without long-term reforms there is no complete victory.
Eoghan Gately from the European Youth Parliament said that, in addition to political contribution, it is also crucial to connect young people across the continent through shared values and goals, with particular emphasis on the importance of leaders' ability to listen.
Victoria Vdovychenko, leader of the "Future of Ukraine" program at the Center for Geopolitics, recalled the importance of Ukraine's contribution to European security.
“Ukraine contributes not only through low-cost drone production and a joint production line, but also through highly motivated and professionally trained people,” said Vdovychenko. She also highlighted her personal experience working with governments within the framework of the newly established First Ukrainian Analytical Program in the UK, urging young leaders to build professional connections today that will be crucial in the years to come.
Western Balkans important for NATO
Stability, education and cooperation – they are necessary for the Western Balkans to move from stability to a strong region. That was the message from the panel “A Secure Region: The Western Balkans from Stability to Strength” which featured speakers from NATO, civil society and diplomatic missions.
Lone Kjelgaard, from the NATO Advisory and Contact Team (NALT) in Pristina, pointed out that NATO has been present in the Western Balkans for three decades, and that its role has evolved from a classic security guarantor to a development facilitator, especially in the security and defense sector.
"NATO's strategic goal remains the same - regional stability, mutual cooperation and support for democratic control of armed forces," said Kjelgaard. She particularly highlighted NATO's presence in Kosovo through KFOR and the advisory team, and active engagement through military offices in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Kosovo.
Nick Kalams, an analyst for democratic development and the Western Balkans, spoke about three concrete measures that can strengthen the region. The first and most important, he says, is that countries in the region must take responsibility for their own security – regardless of their NATO membership status.
"NATO is strong because its members are strong," said Kalams, adding that military modernization and regional cooperation, through joint academies and civil-military initiatives, must become priorities.
The panel "Building Bridges, Ensuring Security, NATO Partnership in Action" assessed that in the coming time, there will have to be even closer cooperation between the EU and NATO, which, according to the panelists, will have to result in real reforms.
Henri Vanhanen, special advisor to the European Parliament, said that there are many announcements, statements and declarations about closer cooperation between NATO and the EU, but, as he points out, something more concrete is needed.
"We need to know exactly where this cooperation is going. Yes, we have had some exchanges, we have sat at the same tables, we have coordinated, and of course the EU and NATO already involve different actors, but NATO is more reality-oriented, while the EU is more of a political and economic union. However, I think that in the years to come there will be a much greater need for this cooperation. I am not just talking about better communication. I am talking about real reforms," Vanhanen stressed.
Katja Lindskov Jakobsen, Director of the Center for Military Studies, Faculty of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, said that there are three key ways in which we can look at the importance of partnerships for NATO.
"First, it is important to point out that partnerships represent the identification of common challenges, and in our report we have particularly emphasized the value of listening - that NATO listens to its partners. This is the message that we have heard throughout all the different meetings that we have held. Partnerships, therefore, are not only relations between the members of the Alliance, but also relations with partners beyond the circle of 32 members, which is particularly important in the context of the topic of this panel - building bridges. These bridges relate to a common response to identified challenges and deepening cooperation between NATO and its partners. Some examples have already been mentioned this morning - hybrid threats, maritime security, the fight against terrorism and strengthening resilience, all of which are areas in which partnerships are of key importance," said Jakobsen.
Artificial intelligence, new technologies, are part of NATO's Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which aims to protect against hostile use of AI. This was assessed at the panel "Behind the Firewalls: Youth, Innovation, Cyber and the Future of AI"
Irene Benito, an official dealing with AI at NATO, assessed that there are disruptive technologies today, and artificial intelligence is one of them.
"We know that we are globally in a race for disruptive technologies. This is a race for innovation and its application, and that is why it is an absolute priority for us — integrating such technologies into our operations, in order to improve our resilience, deterrence and defence. We do this, for example, through the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy. It was revised last year. Within that strategy, the priorities are very clear: to improve our competitive advantage in the field of AI technology, to protect the alliance from hostile use of AI and to ensure that we protect technological developments so that our own technologies are not used against us," said Benito, emphasizing that it is no secret that NATO is using AI to improve its AI defence.
The Invisible Frontline: Navigating Hybrid Threats in the Digital Age
Speaking about hybrid threats, Vlasta Zekulić from NATO said that the Alliance is currently working on a new strategy for hybrid warfare, which for the first time will be jointly written by both civilian and military teams, so that the response is unified and more effective.
"We will not separate the responses, but unite them – because that is exactly how the attacks come: simultaneously in both the civilian and military spheres."
Sofia Romansky, strategic analyst at HCSS and project coordinator for GC REAIM, speaking about the use of technology in the war in Ukraine, said that technology is being used, but not in the way we would expect.
Marko Banović from the Digital Forensic Center, assessed that Russia and China are intensively exploiting the institutional and social weaknesses of the Western Balkan countries to spread anti-NATO narratives and destabilize the region. Banović warned that the region faces complex challenges that transcend the borders of individual states.
"We have weak and politicized institutions, deep-rooted public distrust, ethnic divisions within and between states, and limited cooperation between them," he said.
According to him, all these weaknesses are being purposefully exploited by foreign actors, primarily Russia and China, in order to promote narratives that undermine democracy and stability. Banović points out that Russia uses the entire spectrum of hybrid threats – from cyber attacks, through disinformation campaigns and attacks on critical infrastructure, to organizing protests.
The panel "Guardians of the Galaxy: Space and the New Security Leaders" emphasized that space is not only important for the military, but is also the foundation of our daily lives.
Janik Petri, NATO's space intelligence officer, said that space also plays a key role in NATO's security strategy. Petri pointed out that without space capabilities, modern battlefield systems would not be able to function.
Young Leaders: Leadership of the Future
Alexander Krabbendam, in his address, emphasized how studying ancient history inspired him to think about leadership from a different perspective.
“The leader of the future should be the embodiment of these people – the nurses, the soldiers in the field, the diplomats in the boardrooms, the philosophers who shape social ideas,” said Krabbendam. According to him, the leader of the new era does not work for fame or fortune, but out of a sincere commitment to community, family and humanity.
Eojin Park compared the process of building leadership skills to a board game, such as Dungeons & Dragons or chess. Her metaphor suggests that, like games, success in leadership depends on developing specific skills and thoughtful strategies.
“I realized that leadership is not one-size-fits-all. There are different types of leaders, and I presented this through three archetypes: the one with the appetite (ambition), the legislator, and the theorist-researcher,” Park pointed out. Her message clearly indicates that leadership is not reserved for one personality type, but encompasses a diverse range of styles and approaches that complement each other.
Ileana Ionescu, the author of the video message that went viral as part of the competition, underlined a key message: radical empathy under pressure is not a weakness – it is armor. She believes that the leaders of the future will not act alone, but will empower others, creating networks of cooperation instead of hierarchies of control.
The power of youth for the strength of the alliance
At the closing panel, NATO officials agreed that young people are not passive observers but agents of change. "We cannot let others tell our story. That is our job," said NATO's Krisztian Meszaros, urging young people to take responsibility for their own security.
Lone Kjelgaard, Chief of Staff of the NATO Advisory and Coordination Team (NALT) from Pristina, emphasized that this gathering was extremely inspiring and educational for her, to the point that, as she says, for the first time in her life she took notes on her phone.
"Words have power. The Deputy Secretary General's statement that NATO must be 'stronger, fairer and 'deadlier' resonated deeply with me," said Kjelgaard, emphasizing the importance of returning to NATO's core mission - protecting the Euro-Atlantic area. However, she adds, it is not enough to just know what to communicate; you need the people, the political framework and the platforms to get the message across in the right way.
Bonus video:
