National Guard marks 35th anniversary with innovation discussions

Latvia’s National Guard is marking its 35th anniversary on Sunday with three public discussions on innovation, its future development and cooperation with employers, LSM reported.

The discussions are being held in the “Zem-teksts” talk tent in Opera Square in Riga. Entrepreneurs, researchers, National Guard members and soldiers are discussing the organisation’s development, from drone technologies and innovation culture to its future vision.

Innovation and defence development

The first discussion, “The role of innovation in the development of the National Guard,” focuses on how new ideas move from development to the battlefield and on the importance of that process.

Latvia opened an Autonomous Systems Competence Centre in 2025, while the Drone Coalition is also operating. Unmanned aircraft technologies are described as one of Latvia’s most visible contributions to modern defence.

The discussion examines cooperation between three sides behind each solution: a commander who identifies and defines a real need, a researcher who turns the idea into a functioning solution, and a business that takes it from prototype to practical use.

Participants will also discuss specific success stories, Ukraine’s experience and how to make innovation part of the National Guard’s everyday working culture rather than an exception.

The discussion is moderated by journalist Kristīne Garklāva. Participants are National Guard captain and military drone expert Māris Bruža, Agris Ķipurs, co-founder and head of unmanned aircraft systems company Origin Robotics, and security expert Sandis Šrāders, an organiser of the National Guard and Riga Technical University innovation hackathon and a member of the LATO board.

Looking towards 2036

The second discussion, “The National Guard’s formula for the future: Where are we going?”, looks ahead to what the National Guard could be in 2036 and how it is already developing into a strong military structure important to society.

One topic is how people can support the National Guard by becoming supporters and contributing their knowledge and skills. The discussion will be a special episode of the “Formā!” podcast.

It will be moderated by podcast producer Ritvars Vulis and moderator Mārtiņš Vecvanags. Participants are National Guard Chief of Staff Colonel Mareks Ozoliņš and history doctor and defence researcher Kārlis Dambītis.

The third discussion is titled “National Guard member and employer: How to turn values into practical action.”

Tags: National Guard, defence innovation, Latvia