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Estonia in NATO operations

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Estonian Ambassador to NATO Kyllike Sillaste-Elling and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shaking hands

Since Estonia joined NATO in 2004, Estonia has participated in many joint military operations using its Estonian Defence Forces.[1] Estonia has also participated in NATO-led military and peacekeeping operations before 2004.

1990-1999

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2000-2009

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Estonian soldiers walking in Iraq armed with IMI Galil rifles (2005)

2010-2019

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Photo of the Admiral Pitka Recon Challenge in 2022
British troops exercise in Estonia as part of NATOs eFP program

2020-present

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Members of the Wisent Task force 2 setting up barbed wire fences
  • NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) (2016–present)
    • Spring Storm (May 2021), a large-scale exercise containing ~14,000 troops from eFP-participating countries in Estonia from 11 May to 31 May.[7]
  • Ramstein Alloy (2021), a series of exercises in the Baltic States which simulates Article 5 scenarios and cooperation with Finland and Sweden.[7]
  • Wisent (2021–2022), a Polish-Estonian joint operation.
    • Wisent 1 (December 2021), Estonian military unit, with around 70 troops, arrived in Poland, the unit and the 18th Infantry Division of Poland helped clean up and block/defend the border area due to the Belarusian border crisis.[16][17]
    • Wisent 2, fortifications and defenses were constructed along the border with Belarus.
    • Wisent 3 (February 2022), The joint operation had continued with 60 troops which built barriers on the border, and built around 40 km (~25 mi) of border protection due to de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine.[18]
    • Wisent 4 (April 2022), The Estonian and Polish troops concluded deployment with ceremony for Katyn victims.[19]
    • Wisent 5 (April 2022), The joint-operative troops made 4 bridges, and the Polish guard started to patrol the border, and the group have improved road infrastructure along around 10km (~6 mi) of the road.[20]
  • Operation Inherent Resolve (2023-present), a military operation in Iraq and Syria led by the United States/NATO since 2014. Estonia has participated since 2023.[2][21]
  • Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (2008–present)
    • Cyber Coalition (2023), cyber defence exercise in Tallinn, Estonia with 28 participating NATO countries and 7 non-NATO countries.[22]
  • Pikne (December 2024), a 2-week long military exercise with multiple participating countries. The exercise is part of NATO's Vigilance Activity Brilliant Eagle, practicing a rapid deployment of Estonian and allied forces to a conflict zone.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "SHAPE | Estonia". NATO.
  2. ^ a b c "Operations abroad". Estonian Defence Forces. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  3. ^ "Carrier Strike Group 12 Prepares for BALTOPS 2008". NNS080602-20. Carrier Strike Group 12 Public Affairs. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  4. ^ "Rahvusvaheline kaitsealane koostöö" (in Estonian). Archived from the original on 26 April 2009.
  5. ^ "ESTGUARD-1 lendab Bosnia-Hertsegoviina Vabariiki". Kaitsevägi (in Estonian). 2005-12-08. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  6. ^ Pihlak, Harle (2018-10-16). "NATO CCDCOE - Expertise and cooperation make our cyber space safer". e-Estonia. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  7. ^ a b c Key NATO and Allied exercises in 2021
  8. ^ "NATO allies unite for Pitka Challenge 2015". Estonian World. 2015-08-11. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  9. ^ ERR (2013-03-26). "Erna Raid Renamed After Admiral Pitka". ERR. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  10. ^ Atlantic Resolve builds readiness, increases interoperability and enhances the bonds between ally and partner militaries with multinational training events in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
  11. ^ ERR, ERR, ERR News | (2021-06-02). "Gallery: Kabul ceremony marks end of Estonia's 18-year Afghanistan presence". ERR. Retrieved 2023-05-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "NATO's Forward Presence" (PDF). NATO.
  13. ^ "NATO war game defends Baltic weak spot for first time". www.euractiv.com. 2017-06-19. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  14. ^ "France, European allies announce military withdrawal from Mali". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  15. ^ Kelly, Fergus (2019-11-08). "Estonia parliament approves Mali troop increase for Operation Barkhane". The Defense Post. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  16. ^ ERR, Ester Vilgats | (2022-01-15). "Kaitseliitlaste üksus Lääne-Eestist suundus Poola". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  17. ^ ERR, Ester Vilgats, Pärnu | (2022-02-11). "Poola piirile läheb juba kolmas Eesti sõjaväelaste üksus". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-05-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Estonian Defence Forces' new task force Wisent 3 started operating in Poland". Estonian Defence Forces. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  19. ^ "Estonian task force unit in Poland concludes deployment with ceremony for Katyn victims". baltictimes.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  20. ^ "Estonia's Wisent task force builds 4 bridges for border protection in Poland". www.baltictimes.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  21. ^ ERR (2023-05-01). "EDF unit takes over Operation Inherent Resolve duties in Iraq". ERR. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  22. ^ NATO. "NATO's flagship cyber exercise concludes in Estonia". NATO. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  23. ^ "Multinational Military Exercise Pikne Kicked Off In Estonia". Estonian Defence Forces. 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
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