turn out to be problematic in the distant future, they must be acknowledged and measures needed to solve certain issues should be discussed now. The biggest issue that depends on Estonia itself and may turn out to be a security risk is its demographic condition. The Estonian population is ageing and decreasing. Global demographic trends are the opposite and, if their influence is combined with potential negative changes in the living environment, an economic recession, radicalisation and conflicts or crises, it may be that waves of migration of a magnitude never before seen will occur, and Estonia will become a potential target country for these. In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achieving these would reduce the root causes of conflicts and create global conditions for the survival of humankind. Relevant measures concerning environmental, economic and social development should alleviate tensions arising from poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, bad governance, population growth and low employment, and help to create conditions that allow the global population (which will potentially number more than ten billion) to coexist and develop peacefully. Should the global society fail in reaching these goals, security pressures will increase and tensions will become keener. These may grow into a large-scale conflict or global chaos. As a member of the global community and a recognised developed country, Estonia must participate in promoting sustainable development, and society has a distinct role in achieving the aforementioned goals. First and foremost, this consists in admitting that Estonian society is a part of the rest of the world and that we are responsible for what is happening there. If we consciously and deliberately participate in the process, the results will be better and more substantial. Security risks will be neutralised more effectively if we do not ignore the process or pay little attention to it. Technological evolution is speeding up and its influence on security and warfare, as well as on people’s daily life and behaviour, is evident. Modern smart technologies and their applications will be replaced by next-generation intelligent technologies able to make decisions independently in addition to analysing information. The application of artificial intelligence, genetics, bio- and nanotechnology and our increasing ability to harness solar and magnetic fusion energy create new possibilities that will change our living environment and existence to a remarkable extent. Besides the major positive impacts, the use of new technologies will also be accompanied by threats and risks; old ones will be complemented by new that require novel countermeasures and solutions. In the context of security and defence, this means that if a potential opponent’s technological solutions are very advanced, we need to work hard to ensure that the defence organised against them is smart, preventive and well thought through. Procuring strategic security technology and acquiring, developing and applying the knowledge and skills related to it are important and inescapably necessary to all independent states, and Estonia needs to pay more attention to this. 21