Annual Report 2020 ESTONIAN DEFENSE FORCES ANNUAL REPORT 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD || Lt. Gen. Martin Herem 4

RUSSIA’S SECURITY POLICY AND MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS || Military Intelligence Centre 6

FIGHTING THE PANDEMIC || Maj. Indrek Olveti 16

NATO MULTINATIONAL DIVISION NORTH || Command Sgt. Maj. Andreas Rebane 20

ESTONIA AND ALLIES 24

SWIFT AND BOLD – 5 RIFLES IN || Björn Malmquist 34

STRONG BOND CEMENTED || Maj. Allan Møller-Petersen 36

LESSONS FROM THE EXERCISE SPRING STORM || Maj. Gen. Indrek Sirel 38

ESTONIA RECEIVES NEW RIFLES || Ramil Lipp 42

SELF-PROPELLED K9 THUNDER 46

MILITARY FIELD HOSPITAL DEPLOYS IN KURESSAARE || Maj. Helena Roon 50

US DRONES IN ESTONIA || Lt. Col. Kristo Lipasaar 52

NEW WINDS FOR THE || Jüri Saska 56

Soldier from the Viru ESTONIAN SPECIAL FORCES IN MALI || Lt. Col. Margus Kuul 62 Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade, looks out from a trench at the MILITARY SERVICE 64 central training ground near Tapa, Estonia, May 7. EDF photo by Junior THE FUTURE BELONGS TO ROBOTIC SYSTEMS || Gert D. Hankewitz 66 Sgt. Jaan Vanaaseme

3 TO THE READER

LT. GEN. MARTIN HEREM , Estonian Defense Forces

ou are holding the year 2020 of the Estonian Defense Forces. While these reports include a lot about the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains only a «flavor» of our activities. The short Yglances in the annual report focus on the development of our military that contin- ued in spite of the virus. We were unable to conduct snap exer- cises to our reservists, the type of exercises usually measure the quality and efficiency of our activities. However, it was a year with many other successful outcomes. We have made some remarkable prog- ress in areas that stay hidden from the public. While we cannot publish these yet, we will as soon as conditions make it possible. In 2020, we improved cooperation with our Allies – we did it in Estonia, in the wider region, and during internation- al military operations. Estonia is visible to the Allies and the Allies are visible in Estonia. Equally important are the exercises where we polished our national defense skills. We did field training exercises like Spring Storm and maneuver trainings with our Allies. Also, map exercises en- abled a whole government approach to the defense. In addition to improving our skills and knowledge, we have focused on mili- tary «hardware» as well by procuring new weapon systems and preparing new capa- bilities. As one may understand, it is not possible to include all our activities in this report, only our most remarkable achieve- ments. On the following pages, you will find interesting information not only for by- standers but also for those inside the mili­ tary. This will most certainly give to the reader a sense of what the Estonian De- fense Forces is and what it does. Enjoy reading!

4 RUSSIA΄S SECURITY POLICY AND MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE CENTRE, Estonian Defense Forces SECURITY

ussia’s attitude in international relations is rity architecture. As a result, Russia would have the increasingly revisionist, emphasizing the con- right to decide on the security of its border countries, cept of a multipolar world. In fact, this is an thereby undermining the influence of international attempt to revise the existing, functioning system, institutions (EU and NATO). Rwhich is accepted by the international community, Such an agreement is seen as the only way to es- by foreign policy (and, if necessary, military) efforts. cape tensions which are usually initiated by Russia Unforeseen factors, such as the COVID-19 pandem- itself. Among other things, it seeks to force European ic, have only temporarily limited this. countries to enter into negotiations with Russia by The constitutional amendments established the way of demonstrating military strength, which, in legal bases of the duration of the state regime. This the absence of other means (or due to weakness), is dispersed domestic political risks concerning the key an important means of achieving foreign policy ob- issue of the state: how to resolve the continuation of jectives. President Putin’s presidency and/or his regime. At the same time, the living standards of the population continued to decline, which was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its af- In its relations with Western countries, termath. Socio-economic difficulties, combined with the regime has a perception that the corrupt authoritarian rule, are gradually increasing international situation will continue to the protest potential of the country; the regime is trying to mitigate this with apparent nationwide move towards a state of chaos. measures. The year was turbulent in the context of the “near The past decade has shown that the use of force abroad” crucial to Russia: the protests that followed to achieve the country’s foreign policy objectives is the presidential election in Belarus, the resurgence in correlation with modernization and training. This of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the elections in includes an increase in the quality and quantity of Moldova that did not go entirely according to the exercises. scenario envisaged by Russia. At the same time, the changing situation opens up new opportunities to INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS assert Russia’s interests. The most important event in the Russia’s domestic In its relations with Western countries, the regime policy was the 2020 vote on the constitutional re- has a perception that the international situation will form, which ended on July 1. The new constitution continue to move towards a state of chaos and that will allow the current President, Vladimir Putin, to this will further be accelerated after the pandemic. remain in power until the year 2036. However, this Thus, the near future is unlikely to see an easing of does not mean that he will rule the country for that tensions between the West and Russia. The thought long: Putin will be 83 years old by then. Additionally, processes of both the political and military leadership the adoption of the amendments also included pro- are still guided by an understanding (which Western viding the president with lifelong immunity, i.e. im- action itself cannot change) that the main threat to munity from criminal prosecution for any possible the state comes from Western countries. crimes committed during his lifetime. Thus, the new Despite Russia’s thinking being dominated by constitution and its provisions seem like a guarantee the notion that the international environment is on a for Putin in case that he decides to resign. A municipal worker clears snow from the steps of path towards greater confrontation, the strategic ob- Russia is now more repressive than ever before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Dec. 1. jective in relations with Western countries is to reach after the Soviet era. Authorities are fighting against EPA/Scanpix photo by Sergei Ilnitsk a binding agreement to change the European secu- critically minded media, harassing peaceful protest-

7 A Turkish explosive ordnance disposal specialist holds the remains of an explosive device in the Salah al-Din area, south of Tripoli, Libya, June 15. Pro-Haftar forces have been accused of mining areas south of Tripoli using landmines of Russian and Soviet origin after pulling out of the region. AFP photo by Mahmud Turkia SECURITY Kremlin spokesper- son Dmitry Peskov looks on as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks via video call during a news conference in Moscow, Dec. 17. Russian authorities began to violently suppress nationwide protests triggered by the poisoning of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Peskov said a

«negligible number» illustration / AFP photo Command Africa U.S. of people turned out to the rallies, compared with the number of people who vote for Putin. AP/Scanpix photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko

ers, arranging smearing campaigns against indepen- In 2020, efforts have been made to treat both for parallel structures and parties or groups under- the means of reconstruction be linked to a domestic dent groups and suffocating the emerging civil society Beijing and New Delhi as partners. At present, Rus- mining government authority), military presence political process that is considered legitimate, includ- with fines. Various organizations are being banned or sia has acted primarily as a mediator between Chi- (troops, bases, arms sales), trade (direct investments, ing the release of thousands of political prisoners and discouraged from being active, and Russian citizens na and in this triangle. However, it cannot be energy, tourism), diplomatic (visits and agreements) ensuring of security of all Syrians. Russia, for its part, associated with them are increasingly being punished. ruled out that the long common border between and cultural and religious ties (different diasporas of wants to make reconstruction a precondition for the The new law allows authorities to block access Russia and China (where there are several «grey ar- people in Israel and Syria originating from Russian return of Syrian refugees. to the Internet partially or completely, even in the eas») could cause problems between the countries in territories). The Kremlin has tried to push through the idea event of unspecified security threats, and it provides the future. Presence in Syria’s Tartus port is concerning and that more than six million refugees would be able to the government with control over Internet traffic in The policy pursued by Russia in the Middle East will become an even greater issue if Russia is able to return home only if the West agrees to pay for the the country. This will allow the Kremlin to censor in 2020, which is likely to continue in its core as- use economic influence in nearby Cyprus (an EU reconstruction of Syria. To this end, Russia sought information flows. pects, has a certain peculiarity: Moscow can hold Member State) to consolidate its strength. to hold the first international conference on refugee a formal dialogue with several warring parties at The Kremlin wants to maintain a military base returns in Damascus, but its coverage remained ex- FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY the same time. For example, today with Israel and in Syria, the most important country in the Mid- tremely modest. Year after year, Moscow has increasingly been looking Iran, tomorrow with the and Hezbol- dle-East for Russia, to protect its regional interests One important «partner» of Russia in the Middle towards the East, strengthening its ties with China. lah, then with and the Kurdish Democratic and it has sought out post-war reconstruction proj- East, North Africa and the Caucasus is Turkey. In the At the same time, another Asian power center, Union Party. ects for its companies for support showed to dicta- context of the Middle East, the relations were quite India, is moving towards the West, strengthening ties Russia exerts political influence, supports strong tor al-Assad. The first objective has been achieved by constructive, as both sides want some control over with the United States. If this trend continues in the leaders (Khalifa Haftar in Libya, Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, attaining the second objective has proven the conflict reminiscent of being an unimaginable long term, the two friendly countries of Russia and Syria) in return for promises of possible future eco- to be much more difficult. chaos. Therefore, control areas were divided near the India could eventually end up in conflicting geopo- nomic benefits. In other words, Russia’s scope of ac- The two diplomatic visions for the reconstruction Turkish border. However, relations were moving on a litical and economic blocs. tivity includes the forming of political ties (support of Syria are still at odds. The West is demanding that course towards a conflict in both Libya and the Cau-

8 9 casus. The culmination of the year was the strategic In Libya, Marshal Haftar’s offensive on Tripoli command and control exercise Kavkaz 2020 in Ground Forces consc- failed by the Turkish drone attacks, despite the active the Southern Military District. Due to the spread ripts wearing masks involvement of the Russian private security compa- take part in a training of COVID-19, there were fewer participants from ny Wagner. A similar scenario was repeated in Na- session at the abroad compared to the exercise of last year (Tsentr gorno-Karabakh, where the Turkish drones used by Ussuriysk Technical 2019). The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Azerbaijan were used to exert superiority in the war School based on the there were nearly 80,000 participants. against Armenia, which was using Russian weapons Russian Voluntary It was added that, in line with the 2011 «Vi- and tactics. However, direct clashes between the Society for Assis- enna Document», the maximum number of mili- tance to Ground

SECURITY two countries seeking regional hegemony have been tary personnel under one operational command Forces, Aviation and avoided. Navy, in Primorskaya was 12,900 (13,000 participants would require the Russia has especially expanded its reach in Af- Oblast, Russia, June involvement of external observers). As in previous rica. In addition to Libya, where, despite support 2. The voluntary years, management-staff training was preceded by provided to Haftar, all parties to the conflict and/or society in Ussuriysk strategic assurance training at 25 different training the more influential actors are being reached out to, has a military driver grounds and 16 aerodromes. The purpose of the de- relations with Egypt, Algeria, Mali, the Central Afri- program for recruits ployment exercise is to practice the deployment of that allows them to can Republic, Angola, Ethiopia and Sudan continue forces to the necessary strategic location. learn how to drive being developed. armored personnel The political leadership announced in the first carriers, multi-purpo- half of the year that Russia would not hold exercis- se tracked vehicles es in the immediate vicinity of borders of Western (MT-LB) and trucks. states, as it sought to find common ground and take Russia has become Africa’s leading arms TASS/Scanpix photo real steps to ease tensions with NATO. Despite this, supplier, surpassing traditional leaders by Yuri Smityuk a Russian-Belarusian co-operation exercise Slavic and the United States in the region. Brotherhood 2020 took place in Brest, Belarus, in September, and an exercise of the Baltic Fleet and At the end of the year, Russia and Sudan signed the 6th Combined Arms Army took place in the an agreement to establish a naval logistics center on fields of arms industry, nuclear energy and food were tion from fossil fuels to green and renewable energy strategic western direction (regions of Leningrad the coast of the Red Sea for 25 years. Russia can ac- signed. Most of them have yet to be implemented, could undermine the filling of Russia’s state treasury. and Kaliningrad) in August. commodate up to four ships and 300 fighters at a but the presence of Russia has continued to grow. The Arctic, and in particular the international time. A Sudanese port will become the first military In the energy context, Algeria has a key role as the shipping traffic there, could become an important base for the country in Africa to be built under an third largest gas supplier to the European Union. By factor in Russia consolidating its position and in- Russia will not falter in using energy intergovernmental agreement; a convenient docking securing dominance over Algeria’s energy resources, creasing its role in international trade due to Russia station for warships that can be used for both refuel- Russia can increase its influence in Europe. Interest taking advantage of the economic consequences of as a geopolitical tool, even if this ing and repairs will also be developed. in Libya’s oil reserves is another step in that direc- climate change. As the planet warms, ice will con- destabilizes the situation The port is planned to be built on a major trade tion. Russia’s military influence has limited the room tinue to melt on Russia’s Arctic coast, creating the in some regions. route at a strategic junction of the trade route run- for Western countries to maneuver in these countries conditions for the North Sea route to become one ning through the Red Sea and connecting the Arab and this may ignite future conflicts. of the most viable alternatives to existing interconti- The training was influenced by COVID-19, so and Mediterranean waterways through the Suez Ca- In relations with Western countries, the focus nental sea routes. the spring conscription started later than planned. nal. At the same time, Moscow is negotiating the of Russia’s influence is on fossil fuels, this will like- While this route could benefit the global econ- On 20 May, only 34,000 conscripts, or 25% of the development of other possible bases and ports in Af- ly continue to be the center of Russia’s influence in omy in , it could also mean greater control total, had been sent to military service. By June 30, rica, with particularly close contacts with Egypt and the near future. The two largest energy export arti- exerted by Moscow over shipping, which in turn there were as many conscripts as usual. In total, the Eritrea. The new port will open the gates to Africa for cles – oil and natural gas – need international eco- could jeopardize other countries’ existing freedom number of conscripts was more or less the same as Russia and facilitate work in, for example, the Cen- nomic stability to continue filling the state treasury, of navigation, as Russia has become very vigorous in last year: 135,000 in the spring and 128,000 in the tral African Republic, where Russian mercenaries but they also pose difficult tasks for the interests of militarizing the seafront. In the long run, however, autumn. The share of contract staff has remained have been operating for several years. Western countries. the melting of ice could allow the transit corridor to stable over the last few years, with almost 400,000 On the other hand, the political situation in Su- Russia will not falter in using energy as a geopo- bypass Russian jurisdiction altogether. professional military service members. dan continues to still be extremely sensitive: if the litical tool, even if this destabilizes the situation in Russia also continued to conduct cyberattacks. The May 9 parade was postponed to June 24 transitional government does not respond to public some regions over time. A cautionary example could While the 2017 NotPetya malware attack, attributed due to the pandemic. Parade rehearsals did not calls for democratization and the country’s difficult be the building of Nord Stream (but also of Turkish by Western investigators to Russian military intel- follow antiviral measures and, according to uncon- past is not overcome, than the current government Stream) and its accompanying aspects, directly re- ligence, cost the world economy an estimated $10 firmed data, a large number of infections occurred. could fall just as the regime of Omar al-Bashir fell. lated to Russia’s «near abroad» and its intention to billion, the economic cost of further large-scale at- The most important training events for the 76th In recent years, Russia has also become Africa’s establish power in Ukraine and Belarus. tacks is so imperceptible that it has not even been Guards Air Assault Division in the Pskov Oblast leading arms supplier, surpassing traditional leaders On the other hand, Russia’s dependence on gas estimated. The latest announced cyberattack with were the co-operation exercise with the Belarus mil- France and the United States in the region. In 2019, and oil revenues motivates the Kremlin to keep pric- more impact took place at the end of the year against itary in Brest in September and the civilian exercise President Putin hosted the Russia-Africa Summit in es high while maintaining significant market share US government agencies and major infrastructure in Pskov and Strugi Krasnye in September. Despite Sochi, during which numerous transactions in the on a global scale. In the long run, the global transi- companies, including Microsoft. the spread of the virus, conscripts continued to be

10 11 sent to the division, but with a greater temporal dis- The Air and Space Forces received the first series persion. manufactured new generation Su-57 fighter jets, Russia is involved in military operations outside which were handed over to the Akthubinsk State the country in three regions: Syria, Ukraine and Flight Test Centre in the Astrakhan Oblast. In the Libya. On November 10, it was announced that coming years, it is planned to arm the 6th Air and 1,960 peacekeepers would be sent to the Arme- Air Defense Forces Army of the Western Military nian-Azerbaijani conflict zone in Nagorno-Kara- District with Su-57 fighters. A contract has been bakh, where observation posts were set up. signed for the supply of a batch of modernized The majority of those sent came from the 15th multi-purpose naval Su-30SM2. The

SECURITY Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the Central Mil- modernization of the Su-25 attack aircraft to the itary District in the Samara Oblast. 90 armored level of Su-25SM3 continued. vehicles, 380 cars and special equipment were brought along. There were also reports of move- ments of units of the 102nd Military Base located The security situation in Estonia’s in Armenia to the concentration areas in order to be ready to fulfil a task. neighborhood can be expected to intensify, as in 2021 the strategic exercise MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS Zapad will be conducted. Ground Forces has had 42 self-propelled rocket launcher systems BM-27 Uragan added to the ar- The Strategic Missile Forces are a key compo- mament of the 1st Tank Army of the Western Mil- Airborne infantry fighting vehicle BMD-4M nent of Russia’s strategic deterrent forces, the mod- itary District in addition to the existing ones, in ac- driving along the Bolshaya Sadovaya Street to ernization and maintenance of which is a priority cordance with the Vienna Document, replacing the reach the parade rehearsal in Moscow, June 17. of the Armed Forces. At the end of the year, 81% self-propelled rocket launcher systems BM-21 Grad. The BMD-4M differs from its predecessors in of the branch was equipped with modern weapons. that it uses 80% of the same modular systems The planned reforms of the Airborne Forces have Currently, the main focus is on rearmament. as the modern BMP infantry fighting vehicles. been stalled, but supplies of new or modernized Shutterstock photo by Dmitry Shchukin Missiles Topol are removed from the armament machinery and equipment continue. The Airborne and replaced with missiles Jars. The latter should Forces received about 300 units of modern armored be taken into use by at least two missile regiments and other equipment in 2020, including the BMD- during 2021: 27th Missile Army of a regiment of 4M airborne fighting vehicles and BTR-MDM ar- seven maneuvering battalions are armed with the In the Arctic direction, regiment armed with the the 28th Division (Kaluga Oblast) with missiles lo- mored personnel carriers. The delivery of parachute latest combat machines, which have more advanced S-300PS system in Yakutia achieved combat readi- cated in the shaft and a regiment of the 35th Divi- systems D-10 and Arbalet-2 continues alongside the maneuverability and firepower than before. The Air ness and the same was done by the anti-aircraft mis- sion of the 33rd Missile Army (Altai Krai) with mo- delivery of PBS-950U, equipment and machinery Assault Airborne Regiment consists of one airborne sile brigade unit armed with the S-300V4 system bile missiles. The 31st Missile Army is likely to get required to drop. Work is underway to improve the battalion and two assault airborne battalions. in the Far East in the Kuril Archipelago. The first two more Avangard intercontinental missiles with artillery capabilities of the Airborne Forces with tests To date, the division has four airborne assault S-350 Vityaz weapon system was delivered to the an ultrasonic warhead into its armament. taking place for the armored tank Sprut- battalions, all of which are armed with modernized training center of the anti-aircraft missile forces in By the end of 2021, one missile regiment (six SDM1. combat vehicles. In the airborne assault forces more the Leningrad Oblast. It is planned to arm the first missiles) should be fully armed with this system. generally, offensive units have become a priority, as anti-aircraft missile brigade armed with this system Preparations for the launch of the Sarmat inter- indicated by the establishment of tank battalions in in 2021. continental ballistic missile flight test should also these units. The upgraded strategic bombers Tu-95MS and be completed with this year. Thus far, launch tests Russia is involved in military operations Great attention was still being paid in the Air and Tu-160 can be armed with the new H-101 mis- have been performed with the missile. outside the country in three regions: Space Forces to the development of air and missile sile. The modernized test specimens Tu-95MSM This year, the security situation in Estonia’s defense and the development of early warning capa- and Tu-160M2 made their first flights. During the neighborhood can be expected to intensify, as Syria, Ukraine and Libya. bilities of strategically important areas in case of air modernization, the aircraft will receive new com- this time the strategic command and control ex- and missile attacks, the aircraft fleet modernization munication and navigation systems and engine. An ercise will be conducted in the western direction: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical cen- also continued. Long-range strategic bombers and agreement was achieved between the Ulyanovsk the active phase of Zapad 2021 will take place ters were also built for the armed forces in Pskov naval anti-submarine planes continued to patrol the Aircraft Construction Plant Aviastar-SP and the Sept. 10–16, 2021. At the request of Russia, the (200 beds) and Velikiye Luki (100 beds). The spread world’s seas and oceans to demonstrate presence and Ministry of Defense for the construction of new exercise is planned to be organized on the basis of of COVID-19 also affected the training of units, es- provide deterrence, while raising awareness of Allied tanker aircraft IL-78M-90A, while the construction common operational and strategic background of pecially in the spring. For example, the correspond- activities on Russia’s borders. of new transport aircraft IL-76MD-90A continued. both Russia and Belarus. During the maneuvers, it ing unit of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division was The replacement of the S-300 Favorit weapon New Su-35S fighters and Su-34 attack bomb- is planned that new ways of joint activities of the disinfecting city streets, and normal training was dis- systems of air defense rocket regiments with S-400 ers were handed over (app. 100 fighters and 130 offensive units are practiced in the metropolitan rupted. Triumf continued. The regiments armed with the bombers have been built under previous contracts). area to assess the effectiveness of new and modern- 76th Guards Air Assault Division added two bat- S-400 achieved combat readiness in Khabarovsk Krai The modernization of another batch of MiG-31 ized armaments and military equipment, but also talion sets of BMD-4M and BTR-MDM armored and the Oblasts of Sakhalin, Sverdlovsk, Samara and fighter jets was completed (app. 150 MiG-31BM/ to learn from the combat experience of Russian of- vehicles during the year. Thus, four of the division’s Leningrad. BSM fighter jets have been delivered). ficers.

12 13 Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (in thousands) By 2025, Russia wants to increase the number 150 of professional service Conscript service 145 135 135 135 members to 500,000 members 155 Fall 150 155 135 150 140 125 155 Spring 155 500 375 375 375 375 350 350 Professional 300 225 service members TASS/Scanpix photo by Alexander Kolbasov Alexander by photo TASS/Scanpix 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Russia’s Annual Strategic Command and Staff Exercise

Belarus–Russian Operational Exercises

Shchit Soyuza 2006 Shchit Soyuza 2011 Northern Fleet Joint Shchit Soyuza 2015 Eastern Military District Vostok 2010 Shchit Soyuza 2019 Strategic Command Vostok 2014 Vostok 2019 Zapad 2009 Western Zapad 2013 Zapad 2017 Military District THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Central Military District Tsentr 2011 Tsentr 2015 Tsentr 2019

Southern Military District Kavkaz 2008 Kavkaz 2012 Kavkaz 2016 Kavkaz 2020

14 15 FIGHTING THE PANDEMIC

MAJ. INDREK OLVETI Staff Medical Officer, 1st Infantry Brigade

irst information about the discovery of novel confirmed in Estonia Feb. 27, and four new cases coronavirus reached the public Jan. 7, when of coronavirus infection were identified in Esto- the authorities of China issued an official state- nia March 11. In the following days, the num- ment regarding the matter. The virus began to spread ber of new cases increased, and the first confir- widely, first in China, and then around the world. med coronavirus death occurred March 25. The FThe World Health Organization classified the novel government established a state of emergency in virus outbreak as a pandemic March 11. Most count- Estonia late in the evening March 12, which led ries responded to the pandemic with severe societal to schools going on distance learning, the closure constraints and decisions to close state borders. of sports clubs and entertainment facilities and The first wave of the virus hit Italy and Spain the shopping centers. hardest in Europe, with these countries also having Like the rest of the world, the Estonian me- the highest number of coronavirus deaths. The virus dical system faced the same problems: it lacked spread rapidly among the elderly, who also see the both suitable personal protective equipment and disease develop more severely and are more likely to respiratory equipment. Until additional supplies die from it. This led to a rapid overload or even col- arrived, EDF helped alleviate the situation by lapse of the health care system in these countries, and handing over protective masks and other personal a depletion of medical resources. protective equipment from its national reserve to Most countries of the world have had to deal the civilian health care system. with the fact that medical resources quickly ran out At the beginning of the first wave of the virus, and that they were not ready for the pandemic. The two epicenters of the disease appeared in Estonia: main problems were the lack of medical equipment Võru County and Saare County. The reason for (personal protective equipment, respirators), the lack the outbreak in Võru County was a birthday party of medical staff and insufficient laboratory resources and the outbreak in Saare County started with the to defect the virus. In many countries, mi- Estonian-Italian volleyball tournament organized litary structures and equipment were there. After that, the virus spread rapidly across involved in resolving the crisis. Estonia. Due to the high prevalence of the disease in A NEW TYPE OF ENEMY Saare County and the depletion of the on-site This was a new type of vi- medical resource, the leadership of the EDF deci- rus and due to this there ded to direct its field hospital to Saare County in was a lot of uncertainty support of Kuressaare Hospital at the request of about the appropriate the State Crisis Centre. The whole operation pro- treatment methods. ved successful, showing once again the need for a Lack of information centrally managed mobile medical infrastructure about the novel vi- to deal with both wartime and peacetime crises. rus caused uncer- The first confirmed coronavirus incident of the tainty. Initially, EDF was identified March 13 by a conscript of the mechanism of the Kalev Infantry Battalion who had participated transmission of in a volleyball tournament in Saare County. In Pvt. Raul Lees, podcaster of the virus and the the following weeks, new cases appeared among «Sõdurileht», Strategic length of the incu- both active service members and conscripts. Communication Centre, Cyber bation period were Command, puts a mask on his unknown. This in CONTINUATION OF TRAINING face. Lees started his conscrip- turn made it difficult The Estonian Defense Forces responded quickly and tion in July and much of his training has been under to select an appropriate decisively to the pandemic. A decision was made to restrictions caused by the methodology to control continue military training. In order to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic. the spread of the virus. introduction of the virus into the campuses from EDF photo by The first case was outside, the leave permits of conscripts were sus- Pvt. Jarkko Martin Pukki

17 pended, and the work organization of active service tant to involve staff physicians in planning and members was changed. to implement the decisions made, no matter how The main decision was to send half of the acti- unpopular the decisions were. It is worth noting ve troops to telework from home, sending the other the initiative of the unit in develo- half to barracks in the campuses. The aim of all these ping, applying and implementing virus control measures was to limit the spread of the disease, to measures. continue military training and to maintain combat In addition to the planning experience gained readiness. in limiting the spread of the virus, it is also no- teworthy that the brigade medical officer reserve positions were quickly converted into active duty positions. This ensured the continued medical Many conscripts who tested positive had advisory competence of the brigade management even after the end of the emergency. no symptoms at all or the symptoms The summer period was calm for the EDF. were extremely modest. No new cases of COVID-19 were identified and the level of morbidity in society remained low. Simultaneously with the increase in the number The 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades quickly invol- of COVID-19 cases in society in late summer ved the reserve doctors from the Military and Disas- and autumn, the number of cases in the EDF ter Medicine Centre of the Military Academy in re- also increased. Two outbreaks occurred in the 1st solving the crisis situation. The involvement of the Infantry Brigade: in the campuses of Tapa and brigade’s medical officers ensured the commanders’ Jõhvi. medical advisory competence in planning and deci- It took a few weeks to control the situation, sion-making. At the headquarters of the 1st Infantry and the main step was to restrict the leave per- Brigade, the initial COVID-19 patient management mits of conscripts and to test the personnel of the manual was quickly developed and introduced to the affected units. Thanks to exhaustive testing, it was whole EDF with some additions. possible to map the foci of the disease, to isola- Center for Military and Disaster Medicine of te those who gave a positive test and their close Estonian Military Academy developed guidelines contacts. and training materials on the correct use of perso- Attention must be paid to the fact that many nal protective equipment. Appropriate training for conscripts who tested positive had no symptoms medical personnel of the Defense Forces was star- at all or the symptoms were extremely modest. ted immediately. The USAG Italy Forza Handbook Therefore, it can be concluded that the control (COVID-19 Response) issued by the Italian garrison of the spread of the virus was largely due to the- of the US Army was of great help to us in developing se two measures. The joint efforts of the medics the various instructions. It provided medical plan- and the staff of the units resulted in the fact that ners with clear guidelines based on real experience. Dec. 18, most of the conscripts could be sent on «We are fighting this virus as we would operate a well-deserved Christmas holiday. in combat; with speed and violence of action upon The year 2020 was a difficult and challenging contact,» said Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, USARAF one for the medics of the EDF as well as for the Commanding General and USAG Italy Senior Res- personnel and leadership of its units. Neverthe- ponsible Officer. less, one could say that the EDF was able to find a solution to almost all COVID-related situations MAPPING LESSONS LEARNED through their operational and effective activities, The rapid management of the first wave of disea- some of which at first seemed overwhelming. The ses in the EDF was ensured by the prompt pre- experience gained in this process is invaluable for paration of an action plan already after the first the future, as the pandemic is not yet showing any signs of danger appearing. It was equally impor- signs of abating.

18 19 STILL FAST AND SHARP – NATO MULTINATIONAL DIVISION NORTH

COMMAND SGT. MAJ. ANDREAS REBANE Division Command Sergeant Major, Multinational Division North

he main effort of the Multinational Division we had to get out of the trench to win the battle, North is to conduct various tasks in its area of then now it is enough to just stay in the trench. operations under the command of the NATO This is the reality, we need to get used to it, and Multinational Corps Northeast. The division’s adapt. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the situ- headquarters must be prepared to plan, coordinate ation changed constantly throughout the year. We Tand integrate the activities of NATO units provid- followed the situation closely and tried to find a ed for reinforcement of the region, and to provide solution to meet the objectives set for us. training at headquarters level in accordance with national and NATO defense plans. A division is usually a unit of nearly 30,000 sol- NATO’s contribution to the security of diers. It consists of two to four brigades and various different support units. To understand the size of a the Baltic region has been significant in division, we could draw a parallel with the wartime recent years. rapid response structure for entire Estonia. NATO’s contribution to the security of the Bal- MND North has successfully completed all the tic region has been significant in recent years. Start- tasks set for it. We have steadfastly moved towards our ing with permanent deployments from units such main goal – to achieve the full operational capability as NATO Force Integration Units, NATO battle- of the headquarters. We plan to achieve this in 2022. groups, the NATO MND North and the NATO The recognition as the NATO body in October MND Northeast and brief deployments of smaller 2020 was an important first step towards this ob- units of other NATO nations during exercises. jective. The initial operational capacity is planned The increased Allied presence is a strong mes- to achieve in the first half of 2021. After that we sage of NATO’s strengthened deterrence and de- will be formally integrated into NATO’s command fense stance. This is an outstanding example of the structure. Alliance‘s commitment and deterrence readiness This means that we are able to take over some of but, if necessary, also to protect us from potential the responsibilities from the MNC Northeast and threats. to take the lead in managing the units assigned to The Ministers of Defense of Estonia, and the MND North and the MNC Northeast in our Denmark signed a joint declaration of intent to area of responsibility. establish headquarters for the MND North at the The headquarters is working daily to ensure that 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels. In September of one day the region would have a unit with combat the same year, the preparatory group of the MND readiness and that in addition to the HQ MND North started working in Ādaži. North and Command Support Battalion, there On March 8 of the following year, the Head- would be real units ready to carry out the tasks as- quarters MND North officially opened there, and signed to them in their areas of operation. on Aug. 1, operations began as a single headquar- It is too early to speak of specific military units ters in two locations – in Latvia and Denmark. The and subordination. At the same time, the leader- establishment of the division’s headquarters is a very ship of the Estonian and Latvian Defense Forces important milestone for the security of the Baltic have clearly expressed their positions on the subor- States and the Alliance as a whole. dination of national units (brigades) to the MND Lt. Col. Jim Hadfield, Commander of the Estonian NATO The year 2020 has been difficult and challenging North in the event of a crisis. Allied Battlegroup, Command Sgt. Maj. Andreas Rebane, for us. The situation in the region and around the At present, communication with these units is Division Command Sergeant Major of the MND North, Maj. world is still complex, which is unprecedented for mostly limited to topics of training. The staffs of Gen. Flemming Mathiasen, Commander of the MND North all of us. Figuratively speaking, we are fighting with the Estonian 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigade and the and Col. Vahur Karus, Commander of the 1st Infantry an invisible enemy. Latvian Mechanized Brigade are officially involved Brigade are discussing the situation during exercise Furios If a year ago we lived with the knowledge that in the training cycle of the MND North. Axe in Ādaži, Latvia, Nov. 22. Almost 2,300 warriors of the 1st Infantry Brigade participated in the exercise. EDF photo by 2nd Lt. Marina Loštšina 21 NATO Multinational Corps Northeast

The HQ MNC Northeast in Szczecin, , under the command of NATO Allied Joint Force Command, is ready to lead ground operations on NATO’s northeast wing, if necessary. The Corps consists of the Lithuanian and Polish brigades of In peacetime, the HQ MND North and the Average sizes of NATO units the MND Northeast with its headquarters in Poland, and the MND North, consisting of Estonian and Latvian brigades, Command Support Battalion are scattered mainly with its headquarters in Latvia and Denmark. Units from the other Allied countries are subordinated to the brigades of Unit Size between four locations. These locations are Ādaži in the four countries. If necessary, the HQs of the divisions are ready to immediately lead units of other countries up to the Squad 6 to 10 soldiers size of a brigade, which will be sent to support the northeast wing of NATO. Latvia with the rest being in Denmark – Karup, Sla- gelse and Federica. In the near future, the headquar- Platoon 3 to 4 squads (18 to 50 soldiers) ters element in Karup will move to Slagelse. Company 3 to 4 platoons (60 to 200 soldiers) The headquarters and combat support element in Battalion 4 to 4 companies (100 to 1,000 soldiers) Denmark are immediately ready for a rapid deploy- Brigade 2 to 5 battalions (2,000 to 5,000 soldiers) ment to Latvia in the event of a crisis. Despite the Division 2 to 4 brigades (10,000 to 15,000 soldiers) fact that the division’s command is located in Latvia, Corps 2 to 4 divisions (20,000 to 80,000 soldiers) MND North area of operations (Estonia, Latvia) the headquarters element in Denmark is ready to take UK-led Estonian NATO Battlegroup over immediately, if necessary. TAPA HQ MND North will have nearly 300 service The main focus of our exercises is the coopera- members, of whom more than 100 are in service tion of different staffs in order to increase the com- ESTONIA during peacetime. These positions are manned by ac- bat readiness of the units. As a success story, we can 1st Infantry 2nd Infantry tive service members and reservists. This means that a highlight the division tactics course organized in Brigade UK Denmark Iceland Brigade relatively small number of active service members will the e-environment as part of crisis preparation. We Canada-led Latvian NATO Battlegroup carry out peacetime tasks and that reservists will join were also able to successfully use it to train peace- us immediately in a crisis. time personnel during the first wave of COVID-19. This is similar to the functioning of the EDF, To better function as a united team, we orga- which is built on the principle of a military reserve nize joint events in the division, which enhance our Latvian 1st Canada Albania Czecia Italy Montenegro ADAŽI force. The division’s headquarters and the Command common spirit and emphasize international unity. Mechanized Support Battalion are mainly manned by military It is our custom to celebrate national anniversaries Brigade LATVIA personnel from the framework countries. In addition, and other anniversaries across the division. Canadian, Lithuanian, Spanish and British troops One of the prerequisites for performing its serve in the headquarters. tasks is the existence of modern infrastructure. Poland Slovakia Slovenia Spain To date, other NATO nations have also shown In Latvia, we started working in a ragged bar- interest in supporting the development of the head- racks from the Soviet era. Today, the situation has quarters and divisions with their people. Today, more changed. A new modern headquarters building than 20 Estonian officers and non-commissioned has been completed as part of our infrastructure; LITHUANIA officers serve as equal partners in the division’s head- this was officially handed over to us Nov. 17 with quarters and Combat Support Battalion every day. a modest ceremony. RUKLA In addition to the usual staff work, we also ap- One can already see pleasant satisfaction in peo- proximate NATO’s and national defense plans. Those ple‘s faces. This is not the end of the infrastructure responsible for the field have done considerable work project in Latvia, the headquarters building is just in a very short time. We can now say that we have a one piece of a big puzzle. At the same time, we are common understanding and a workable plan for var- actively developing our infrastructure in Denmark. ELBLAG ORZYSZ ious actions in the event of possible aggression in the NATO is not a magic wand that solves all our Baltic region. problems. I have been jokingly asked whether east- MND Northeast area of operations (Poland, Lithuania) We have situational awareness in all areas of re- ern front will hold? If I look at the daily commit- sponsibility. The division’s Tactical Operations Centre ment and level of training of the EDF now, I can SZCZECIN Polish 15th Lithuanian "Iron Wolf" Mechanized Mechanized Brigade is constantly updating it. This information is shared say that the eastern front is doing better than ever. Headquarters of Brigade between NATO headquarters and national units. We It is certainly not someone’s personal achievement, the MNC Northeast Germany-led Lithuanian NATO Battlegroup have expanded the use of our information systems for this effort is backed by hundreds and thousands of USA-led Polish NATO Battlegroup military purposes, which allows us to do our work soldiers, including our allies, who contribute to and faster and more securely. support our collective security every day. POLAND The key to the division,s success lies in well-pre- Nevertheless, we are facing a dangerous and Germany Croatia Belgium Czechia pared units. No training is too much when it is di- changing world. As a small country, we must act as rectly related to maintaining and raising combat read- an equal partner throughout the region. We must USA Romania iness. We have set ourselves the goal that the training maintain good relations with our coalition partners organized in the MND North must be well thought and be prepared to support them if necessary. At Iceland Luxem- Netherlands out and planned but also be active in its structure and the same time, we must realize that no one will help bourg demanding in its nature. us unless we help ourselves. We are NATO. UK Croatia

23 France ALLIES they reactivated in2018 Grafenwöhr Germany since outside theirhomebaseof 41 first live fire exercise from 4–7 Rush (Sept. 2020 area near Tapa, 5 Sept. the Estonian central training Range Practice Rounds over lery Regiment fires Reduced 1st Battalion, 6thFieldArtil- assigned to Bravo Battery, RocketLaunch System crew U.S. Army M training audience. mand posts were themain weapon crews andcom- exercise, forward observers, exercise. Duringthejoint Czechia participated inthe Montenegro, Spain and United Kingdom,Denmark, the United States, Estonia, service members from Gunner Rush exercise. 200 participated intheRail NATO Battlegroups Allied with alarge range. uses precision ammunition weaponThe system also to attack highvalue targets. weather anditisdesigned attack alarger area inany systemThe hasan abilityto counter-fire of theenemy. firing tactical to prevent the in shoot-and-move-type Sgt. 1st Class ArdiSgt. Hallismaa st Field Artillery Brigade st FieldArtillery The M270 The Estonian andLatvian . Exercise RailGunner 270 A MLRSisused EDF photo by ) was the A Multiple , .

Multiple Rocket Launch System M270 Maximum firing Maximum tactical guidedmissile:range witha Reload time: Rate of fire: Effective firing range: Operational range: speed: Maximum Weight: Height: Width: Length: Crew:

3 min 2 missiles in10sec 12 rockets in<40secor 186 miles 28 miles 300 miles 40 mph 55,000 pounds 8 feet 6inches 9 feet 9inches 22 feet 6inches 3 A ALLIES

Long-range bomber B-52H From left, the British and interoperability Duke-class among allied and Crew: 5 HMS Kent (F78), partner nations. Length: 159 feet 4 inches the Supply-class On the same day, it Wingspan: 185 feet combat support ship flew to a cooperation Height: 40 feet 8 inches USNS Supply (T-AOE 6), exercise with the the Blue Rdige-class Estonian Defense Weight: app. 185,000 pounds command and control Forces, after which it Maximum takeoff weight: 488,000 pounds ship USS Mount Whit- flew in formation Maximum speed: 650 mph ney (LCC 20) and the together with air Unrefueled combat range: 8,800 miles policing fighters over Absalon-class support . The bomber is Power unit: 8 × Pratt & Whitney engines ship HDMS Esbern capable of flying at TF33-P-3/103 turbofan Snare (L17) sail in high subsonic speeds at Payload: 70,000 pounds formation in the Baltic altitudes of up to Sea while a U.S. Air 50,000 feet. Force B-52H Stratofor- It can carry nuclear tress long-rang bomber or precision guided flies overhead during conventional ordnance exercise Baltic Opera- with worldwide tions (BALTOPS) 2020, precision navigation June 15. BALTOPS is the capability. The upgrad- premier annual mari- ed B-52 also includes time-focused exercise some state-of-the-art in the Baltic Region, electronic warfare this year marking the equipment. 49th year of one of the U.S. Navy photo by largest exercises in Mass Communication Northern Europe Specialist 2nd Class enhancing flexibility Damon Grosvenor ALLIES CV- Payload: Maximum speed: Maximum verticalMaximum takeoff weight: Empty weight: Height: Width folded: Width: Wingspan: Length: Crew: 24 personnel (seated) or32 24 22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft

1 Growler light internally transportable vehicle

316 mph( 31,818 pounds 22 feet 1inch(engine nacelles vertical) 18 feet 5inches 84 feet 6.8 45 feet 10inches 57 feet 4inches 3-4 up to 15,000 poundsexternal cargo or 20,000 poundsinternal cargo or 351 mphat 15,000 feet) inches (including rotors) inches(including maritime capabilitiesto enhance stability imminent threat withland, airand conditions for arapid response to an Tapa, Nov. 13 Estonian central training ground near and U.S. SpecialOperations Forces in support training withEstonian, Swedish arrives inEstonia to assist closeair U.S.Special Operations Wing, AirForce, A CV- personnel (floor loaded) or personnel (floorloaded)

22B Osprey, assigned to the352 47,500 pounds . SpecialForces create nd nd turboprop aircraft. cruiseperformancehigh-speed of a tional helicopter withthelong-range, combine thefunctionalityof aconven - Itisdesignedtolanding capabilities. and landingshorttakeoff and aircraftmilitary withboth vertical takeoff Osprey isauniquemulti-mission, tiltrotor BoeingV-in theregion. Bell The EDF photo 1 by Sgt. st Class Ardi Hallismaa 22

ALLIES Attack helicopter AH- Maximum operatingMaximum 23,000 weight: pounds Primary mission gross 15,075 weight: Armament: Power unit: Operating range: ceiling:Flight Maximum speed: Maximum Height: Rotor diameter: Length: Crew:

2 x19 2 xSidearm anti-radiation missiles, 2 xAIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles or, 4 xMistral or, 4 xAIM-92 16 xAGM- 30 mmchaingunand

-shot podswithHydra-shot 70 2 ×General ElectricT700 295 20,000 feet 185 mph 15.49 48 feet 48.16 feet 2 114L Hellfire- Stinger or, miles feet 64E ApacheGuardian 2 anti-tank missiles, pounds unguidedrockets -GE- 701 D turboshafts ground, 4 Latvia, Dec. exercise Winter ShieldintheĀdaži training Enhanced Forward Presence, firingduringthe PT- from the101st AirborneDivision,andPolish U.S.The Army AH- compatibility andmobility. defense operations anddemonstrated their exercise. unitspracticed These joint regional of theBalticBattalion, alsoparticipated inthe Estonian andLithuanianDefense Forces, part tions Command Europe andthecompanies of service members of theUSSpecialOpera- fense Forces andtheLatvian NATO Battlegroup, latest upgraded version AH- Army service in1986 30 prototype YAH- four-blade tandem-seat attack helicopter. The , In additionto theunitsof theLatvian De Boeing AH- tanks from91 tanks theLatvian Battlegroup, NATO 1975 . The helicopter. The was introduced to U.S. Latvian Ministry of Defense photo Apache is a twin-engine 64 Apacheisatwin-engine made its first flight Sept. 64 madeitsfirst flight Sept. 64E Apachehelicopter crews . Full-rate production of the . 64E beganin2012 - . and Iceland. France,from Denmark, Belgium Kingdom and200 service members from theUnited ants. There are more than800 Forces, hasnearly 1,000 combat Infantry Brigade, Estonian Defense Battlegroup, aspartof the1st UK-ledThe Estonian NATO Allied by the5RIFLESinSeptember, 2020 in Tapa inMarch andwas replaced Regiment of Fusiliers beganservice near Tapa, April28 Estonian central training ground exercise SpringStorm 2020 designated marksman rifleduring stands withtheLMT L129A1 Regiment of Fusiliers, BritishArmy, Service memberof theRoyal EDF photo Kevin by Sgt. Valkenklau ALLIES service members . The Royal. The at the - . Rifleman Wherrett, Soldier of the D Company, 5 RIFLES, British Army, steps into an ice hole on Soodla Reservoir, Harju County, Jan. 24, 2021. SWIFT AND BOLD – 5 RIFLES IN ESTONIA 5 RIFLES is a regular infantry battalion of the The Rifles BJÖRN MALMQUIST Regiment, British Army. Media Advisor (Iceland), Estonian NATO Battlegroup British Army photo ALLIES

umping into ice-cold water and crawling back That deployment marked the beginning of the to safety is perhaps not something that most presence of NATO forces in Estonia, following the people dream about doing on a cold Sunday decision, taken at the NATO summit in Warsaw a winter morning. year earlier, to strengthen the deterrence and defen- But that is exactly what the one hundred or so sive posture in the eastern parts of the Alliance’s ter- JBritish soldiers from the NATO enhanced Forward ritory. Presence Battlegroup were doing near Soodla, Harju «Our current deployment here in Estonia has County. They are part of some 900 UK soldiers and been a very rewarding experience for us,» says Had- officers based in Tapa alongside the 1st Infantry Bri- field. «Last fall, our first task was to begin the process gade, Estonian Defense Forces. of integration with the 1st Brigade of the Estonian «The first seconds were a bit of a shock, but after Defense Force, as well as with the Danish Vidar that you just calm down and carry on,» says Lance Company, which arrived in July last year, forming Cpl. Jamie Carter, few minutes after he had dived the other part of the NATO Battlegroup in Estonia.» in, crawled back out and changed into dry clothes. This process culminated in the Furious Axe exer- «Once you control your breathing, everything calms cise in Latvia late last year, which was all about defen- down to normal, and you’re able to get out of the sive operations and tactical maneuvers of the 5 RI- water.» FLES, Vidar Company and the 1st Infantry Brigade. Carter and his fellow soldiers spent the weekend «Given that our role here is to contribute to the out in the woods near Soodla as part of the Cold collective deterrence and defense of Estonia, this was Weather Operations Training – a program that every a very important milestone for the 5 RIFLES, and I soldier and officer in the Battlegroup goes through. am proud to say that we passed this test with flying The activities do not only include getting soaked colors,» says Lt. Col Hadfield. in ice-cold water. Over three days and nights, the sol- The eighth rotation of UK forces to Estonia took diers do tactical training in the snow-covered woods place in March 2021, when 1 MERCIAN arrived in practicing their survival skills and teamwork, spend- Tapa to take over the lead of the Battlegroup. An ad- ing a night outside with minimal equipment and cre- ditional company of French soldiers also arrived in ating their own shelter. March, replacing the Danish Army’s Vidar Company «This is simply a very valuable lesson in the fun- that served in Estonia 2020. damentals of soldiering,» says Lt. Col. Jim Hadfield, the Commanding Officer of the NATO Battlegroup. «Any extreme environment, be it hot, dry or cold, will really test your ability to administer yourself and put you in a position where you can still fight. This training course teaches our soldiers to do exactly that in these cold conditions.» Hadfield adds that this is a new experience for Soldiers in the British Army. They rarely encounter this coldness and the depth of snow in the UK, so it's very unusual for them to be able to do this training. He thinks that it is one of the great opportunities about being in Estonia as part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence. Hadfield and his soldiers in the 5 RIFLES led Battlegroup arrived in Estonia in September 2020 and are due to leave in March. They are the first UK military unit so far to return to Tapa, having been there in 2017.

34 ALLIES STRONG BOND CEMENTED

MAJ. ALLAN MØLLER-PETERSEN Public Affairs Officer, Danish Contingent, Estonian NATO Battlegroup

he close cooperation between Denmark and and mouse. EDL patrols hided in dense vegeta- Estonia literally goes back hundreds of years. tion ready to launch their anti-tank missiles, whilst In recent years, Danish and Estonian sol- Danish armored vehicles scanned the challenging diers have fought side-by-side in Bosnia, Kosovo, terrains with their thermal technology. Iraq, Afghanistan and Mali. In 2020, The Danish «This cooperative exercise was an excellent op- Tcompany-sized contingent joined again the NATO portunity to test the capability of our soldiers and enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Tapa, equipment,» says Maj. Mads, Commander of the Estonia. VIDAR Company. «It enabled us to learn from Around one-third of the 200 Danish soldiers Estonian soldiers, who have well-established local on the last six-month-rotation were in Estonia for knowledge and we provided valuable training for their second time. This proved to be useful for a them to operate modern anti-tank weapons against quick familiarization and a smooth integration modern armored vehicles and tactics.» into the Battlegroup and the Estonian 1st Infan- try Brigade. Every week for the last 12 months Danish soldiers have either conducted small units training or participated in larger operations across Every week for the last 12 months the Baltic States. «To us, the eFP mission is an important mis- Danish soldiers have either conducted sion that is demanding due to the dense terrain and small units training or participated in because we face a highly capable adversary,» says larger operations across the Baltic States. Lt. Col. Thomas Fogh, the Danish Defense Forces senior national representative in Estonia. «As pro- fessional soldiers we have to be well prepared, well The close cooperation between two allies con- trained and ultimately, ready for war, when you en- tinues in 2021. Danish infantry will be back in ter these grounds. It should not be underestimated Estonia to participate at the exercise Spring Storm, that the Baltics still are the eastern front of NATO and EDF soldiers will go to Denmark to participate and our adversary in recent years has shown both at the exercise Brave Lion. Pending a parliament will and strength to use military power to achieve approval, Denmark will deploy a company-sized his political objectives.» contingent to Tapa again in 2022. The Danish cooperation with the UK-led Bat- «It has been an honor to be an integrated part tlegroup and Estonian 1st Infantry Brigade has of the NATO´s defense of Estonia and the Baltics,» been exemplary. The Danes have conducted train- says Fogh. «Personally, I am glad that our soldiers A Danish soldier from the UK-led ing with the British 1st Fusiliers and 5 RIFLES as have had the opportunity to get to know the people Estonian NATO Battlegroup aims with well as Estonian Defense Forces and Estonian De- of Estonia with whom the Danes share a long his- his rifle during exercise Spring Storm fense League. tory. Whenever we have met local citizens, we have in Estonian central training ground The exchange of knowledge often goes both seen both happiness and friendship. People have ex- near Tapa, Apr. 28. EDF photo by Junior Sgt. Maria Tõkke ways. During an exercise, Danish VIDAR soldiers pressed their gratitude for us being here as allies and and EDL soldiers played the old game between cat for being ready to defend their country.»

37 SPRING STORM EDF photo JaanVanaaseme by JuniorSgt. T that the main activity was planned for the central that the main activity was plannedforthe central exercises formanyyears tocome. remainwill certainly theyardstick offuture live fire used intheexercise thistimewasimpressive. This live fire exercise. Thecomplexityandtacticaldepth who were already here atthattime. decided topracticecooperationonlywiththoseallies exercise. Due tothegeneralpandemicsituation,we the EDFtotrainandnotusecivilianlandsfor membersof service sions wasnottoinvitethereserve to cooperatewiththeAllies.One ofourfirstdeci train theunitsaccording tasksand totheirwartime afford totakeasix-monthbreak intraining–notus. ample have aprofessional armedforce, maybeableto is constantly updated. Some countries, which for ex- of ourunitsdependonhow thetrainingof theunits ing withourown resources inalmostanyconditions. experience inknowing thatwe canorganize thetrain ing cycle wouldhave endedinthespring. decided tofocusontrainingthoseunitswhosetrain in theEstonianDefense Forces allow fortraining,we as we sawthatthepandemiccontrol measures used large-scale exercise couldtakeplace. ary-March, we were notatallsure whethersucha the pandemicbegantocomeclearforusinFebru LESSONS FROM THE EXERCISE SPRING STORM Spring Storm 2020wasorganized insuchaway of part The mostimportant Spring Storm was Usually, thepurposeofSpring Storm isto force. Theoperationalskills The EDFisa reservist That wastherightdecision. We gained valuable We hadsetourselves trainingambitions.Assoon seriousness ofthewholesituationregarding in thefactthatitdidtookplace. When the he value oftheexercise Spring Storm 2020lies Overall Exercise Commander for theSpringStorm 2020 Deputy Commander, Estonian Defense Forces MAJ. GEN.MAJ. INDREK SIREL - - - - of Estonia. homes, whichwe canonlyexercise indifferent parts derstand thatwe are alsopracticingprotecting their that theEDFistheirs.People couldseeandun AllEstoniancitizens shouldfeel is alsoimportant. of alargerforce. enough togettheright feeling about theoperation Unfortunately, thecentraltrainingground isnotbig goals inthetrainingofsmallunits,butithasalimit. training ground andithelpstoachieve our daily the centraltrainingground. large organizationthatallunitswillsimplynotfiton we can protect the whole country.a TheEDF is such know different ofEstonia,themore parts effectively only from thecentraltrainingground. The better we information forfuture trainingcycles. ual soldier. Theselessonslearnedprovided valuable some otheraspectsrelated totheskillsofindivid- little more onthe tacticaluseofheavyweapons and arms. the battalionlevel andthejointtrainingofcombined oftheactivitiescompaniesin especially true considered routine were now re-examined. Thisis learned alsoemerged.Many ofthethingswe already achieved. staffs. The minimum objectives of the units were ercise wasmainlytheresponsibility ofthebrigade duce thecommandstructures –organizingtheex training ground oftheEDF. We re hadtofurther The communicationoftheEDFwithsociety We have been constantly developing the central At thesametime,we donotprotect Estonia In thefuture, trainingwillalsoneedtofocusa With thereduction lessons ofthestructure, new

- - - Spring Storm 2020 field training exercise area 16 300 Central training ground of EDF 46 square miles

In comparison, the average size 925 of a brigade’s 3,225 square area of square miles responsibility 13 000 miles 25 x 37 miles SPRING STORM

Spring Storm 2020 initially planned field training exercise area

9000 9000

Participants of field training exercise Participants of live fire exercise

1371 1119 Conscripts Conscripts 2611 1580 1 1 Reservists Reservists Spring Storm 2020 1999 300 Spring Storm 2019 478 363 Active duty Active duty 6000 1970 690 6000 Due to COVID-19, 700 149 Allies Allies reserve 2500 0 service 4500 members did not Participants of the EDF bigger exercises 4000 4000 participate 3500 3200 3200 3000 3000 3000 2500 2000 2000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Spring Hedgehog Hedgehog Storm ESTONIA RECEIVES NEW RIFLES

RAMIL LIPP Head of the Armament Category, Procurement Department, Centre for Defense Investment

ne of the biggest capability developments The company not awarded with the procurement in the Estonian Defense Forces, which decided to challenge the outcome. Both the Public affects virtually all soldiers, is, of course, Procurement Review Committee and the court the procurement of new rifles. R20 Rahe is a decided not to satisfy the dispute. The agreement Oworld-class firearm in terms of its user-friendliness was reached in the summer of 2019. Deliveries were and accuracy. The Centre for Defense Investment scheduled to start in 2020 and to last until the end started preparing the procurement in cooperation of 2021. with the EDF already in 2016. The public However, the world was hit by the COVID-19 procurement was announced in the summer of pandemic and the scheduled arrival of deliveries 2017. For the first time, Estonia procured weapons became increasingly unlikely. At the same time, under open market conditions. CDI and LMT have done their utmost to manage the delays caused by the pandemic.

In 2020, 6,050 rifles with a caliber of 5.56 mm and 500 rifles with a caliber of 7.62 mm have been handed over to the EDF. In addition, most of the accessories ordered with the procurement have been delivered, including various sights (red dot The aim was to and optical sights) and other weapon parts. acquire a modern weapon During 2021, most of the supply should arrive for the EDF that would allow the in Estonia, i.e. the remaining quantity of 18,340 use of various modern accessories and rifles. CDI, the EDF and the manufacturer LMT would be both ergonomic and durable. Defense are in constant communication. Due to The new generation weapon also has the pandemic, it is important to reach the last the advantage of modularity; this allows delivery of the ordered batch of rifles in the first one to easily and quickly change the barrel half of 2022. together with the bolt and magazine. This makes In regard to this procurement, it must be it possible, for example, to change the caliber of emphasized that one important component of the the weapon. It is a big step into the future. procurement strategy was to ensure the life cycle The arms procurement was extensive. It of weapons by adding separate shot counters to required the full and professional cooperation of rifles. In this way, an accurate overview of the life a large number of people. The objective was to cycle is created for each rifle, i.e. information on get the product with the best price and quality how much the weapons have been used. This will available on the market, according to the needs give one a better overview of when it is time to do of the EDF. We can proudly say that we achieved full maintenance or decommission the rifle. this goal. We can safely say that we have taken a big The chosen procurement strategy attracted a great step forward as a country with the procurement deal of public interest and dramatically increased of these firearms. We look to the future with the number of participants in the procurement. In confidence and we know that we can organize the case of large-scale procurements, disputes may large-scale procurements together with our main always happen – it involves a lot of money. This customer, the EDF. We can do this under open was also the case when LMT Defense’s bid was market conditions, from planning to management announced as the winner. leading to a successful outcome. EDF photo by Junior Sgt. Jaan Vanaaseme

43 Red dot sight

R20 Rahe

Gas valve with The rail platform, upper receiver Collapsible stock adjustment cap and piston and handguard are made from a 35-inch overall length single piece of forged aerospace (extended stock) aluminum Ambidextrous charging handle

Ambidextrous fire 14.5-inch barrel with flash hider selector with safe, 2,950 ft/s muzzle velocity M-LOK free-floating semi-automatic and handguard automatic function

LA-R20 is the new standard Trigger and service rifle of the Estonian trigger guard manufac- tured by LMT Defense. This is the most modern version of the M16/M4 rifle and can be considered its latest M16A1 is with the generation. addition of forward 30-round magazine AR-15/M16 timeline assist assembly. This weights 1 pound was also the service 1.64 ounces weapon of the Esto- nian units in the Baltic Battalion in the early TA-R20 is the new short- AR-15 is the 5.56 2000s. mm caliber version M4A1 is a version of the stroke piston designated of the AR-10 rifle. M16 with a shorter barrel marksman rifle of the Esto- M16A2 is a version with M1 was the standard M14 was chosen as the ArmaLite sold the and a collapsible stock. M110 is a 7. 62 mm nian Defense Forces. The U.S. multiple improvements. service rifle of the U.S. standard service rifle of the license for the rifle to This is still the standard caliber precision Armed Forces have begun M16A1 The most important Armed Forces from 1936 U.S. Armed Forces in 1959. It Colt’s Manufacturing service rifle in the U.S. rifle that is the stan- replacing the M110 with a one is that instead of to 1958. It was the main is still used as a marksman Company in 1959. Armed Forces and several dard marksman rifle similar M110A1 CSASS rifle. automatic fire it fires rifle in both World War II rifle by the armed forces of upgraded modifications of of the U.S. Armed three-shot bursts. and the Korean War. several countries, incl. the this rifle are in use. Forces’ units, it has Estonian Defense Forces and the same design as AR-15 the Defense League. M16.

LA-R20 M1 M14 M16A2 TA-R20

M16 M4A1 M110 M27 IAR AR-10

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 AR-10 is a highly M16 is the military version of AR- M27 IAR is the new standard service innovative 7. 62 mm 15, which was first chosen as a rifle of the U.S. Marine Corps. Unlike rifle manufactured by standard service rifle by the U.S. the M16, it has a short-stroke piston ArmaLite. This can be . The most important reloading system. The weapon is ba- considered the ancestor difference in comparison with its sed on the HK416, which was taken of many modern rifles. predecessor is that the weapon into use by the U.S. Special Forces as charging handle is at the back, early as 2004. not under the carrying handle. Self-propelled artillery K9 Thunder Length: 39. 37 feet Hull length: 24.28 feet Withd: 11.15 feet Height: 8.96 feet Weight: 102,000 pounds Engine: MT881 Ka-500 V8 water-cooled diesel engine Engine power: 1000 horsepower Maximum speed: 40 mph Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders) Armament: L-52 howitzer .50 heavy machinegun Fire preparation time: 30 seconds at emplacement 60 seconds from movement Rate of fire: 6−8 rounds per minute Maximum firing range: 25 miles (18.6 miles with standard projectile) Range: 298 miles

A K9 Thunder crew, Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Briga- de, Estonian Defense Forces, jumps down from the top of the self-propelled artillery in Tapa, Estonia, Feb. 8, 2021. Estonia purchased 18 units of K9 from ; the first two units arrived in 2020. EDF photo by Pvt. Jarkko Martin Pukki FIELD HOSPITAL

The field hospital of the Estonian Defense Forces in front of the Kuressaare Hospital, Apr. 4. In COVID-19 treatment confi- guration, the ward-monitoring beds of the field hospital were also equipped with oxygen. Postimees photo by Sander Ilvest Role 2 Field Hospital (infection treatment configuration)

Treatment beds 40 MILITARY FIELD HOSPITAL ICU beds (fully equipped) 8 DEPLOYS IN KURESSAARE WC and shower for patients 2 Lab Decontamination module Resource Negative pressure modules module (power, MAJ. HELENA ROON water, oxygen) Head of the Training Department, Layout measures 180 x 148 feet Centre for Military and Disaster Triage Medicine, Estonian Military Academy Entrance Intensive care module

Decontamination module he number of COVID-19 pos- In addition, due to the specific na- Intensive care module itive patients requiring hospi- ture of COVID-19 pneumonia, the talization increased across the need for medical oxygen was signifi- country in the spring of 2020. The cantly higher than normally. There- number of patients in need of hospital- fore, regular field hospital oxygen sup- T WC and shower Intermediate module and lab ization increased sharply in the island ply (oxygen production generator and of Saaremaa, where a field hospital of oxygen tanks) had to be increased with 10-bed the Estonian Defense Forces was deployed additional oxygen tanks. ward module WC and shower to provide assistance. Fifteen COVID-19 patients were treated at 10-bed The capabilities of Kuressaare Hospital the field hospital during this period. The ward module were at their limit, mainly in the inten- average age of patients was 72.9 years. sive care unit – all the beds with sup- The oldest was a 90-year-old woman. plementary oxygen availability were The duration of treatment lasted from Mounted occupied. According to the request of three hours to fifteen days. Rapid deployment mobile modular on six trucks the Health Board, the Role 2 field hos- Two patients were transferred to hospital is manufactured by Estonian pital of the EDF was sent to support the ICU of the North Estonia Medi- Defense Industry Association companies Semetron and Maru. Kuressaare Hospital as a COVID-19 cal Centre, one to the Pärnu Hospital department from April 1 to April 30. and one to the COVID department of 20 ICU beds (monitoring, oxygen ther- the Kuressaare Hospital for follow-up treat- apy, respirator, etc.) were opened and 40 gener- ment. Two were sent back to a nursing home and al ward-monitoring beds were ready to be opened. seven were discharged. Unfortunately, two patients 18 EDF medics, 15 conscripts of the 1st Infantry passed away. Brigade (with paramedics training) and 30 civilian The pharmacy of Kuressaare Hospital provided medics treated the COVID patients. the medical and personal protective equipment to Activities in Kuressaare were a great challenge for the field hospital. The hospital laboratory performed all personnel as the EDF field hospital was deployed the analyses. X-rays were usually taken at the field for the first time as fully functioning hospital in the hospital, in some cases the X-ray room of Kuressaare conditions of a civil crisis. Hospital was used as well. This was an exceptional situation because usu- The cooperation with the management, doctors, ally the field hospital treats mostly trauma patients. nurses and technical support staff of Kuressaare Hos- Under intended circumstances, a field hospital can pital was excellent. Their help being crucial at keep- conduct surgeries and provide intensive care with ing the field hospital running throughout the whole The field hospital of the Es- tonian Defense Forces on the short-term ward treatment attend to patients for up period. It was also a new experience for the staff of ferry and heading towards the to 72 hours. civilian hospital. island of Saaremaa, in Virtsu The patients were instead infectious and need- In conclusion, the EDF Role 2 field hospital in Port, Apr. 1. Each module has a 20-minute deployment and ed special conditions to prevent the infection from Kuressaare provided invaluable experience of solv- repack time. spreading. For this, a «clean» and an «unclean» area ing and containing the crisis. Many problems, such EDF photo by were separated; medical staff had to use personal pro- as oxygen supply, spatial layout, special features of Junior Sgt. Joakim Klementi tective equipment while working. There was also a treating infectious diseases, etc., are still being ad- challenge with the patients with large age difference dressed to improve the efficiency of the field hospital and unknown length of stay. in the future emergencies.

50 US DRONES IN ESTONIA

LT. COL. KRISTO LIPASAAR Staff Officer,

or the first time, a U.S. drone unit was locat- Both the drones and the fighters had to be able The MQ-9 Reaper does not have to be directly in Estonian airspace, a B-52 bomber, an AWACS ed in Estonia in 2020. The Ämari to carry out their tasks without interruption, with above the object of interest to collect data. It also E-3 early warning and airspace control aircraft operated the remotely piloted unmanned the necessary ground support and preparation. It allows one to see far beyond the border. This is and an aircraft with electronic jamming equip- MQ-9 Reaper aircraft from mid-June to the end was necessary to separately develop procedures for what the defensive Alliance needs in order to iden- ment. Fof July. the take-off and landing of unmanned aircraft, and tify the possible hostile intentions of its neighbors Due to the difficult time in civil aviation, the These drones are part of the 52nd U.S. Air Force thanks to good cooperation with the Estonian Civ- in a timely manner. Estonian AF started using new M-28 Skytruck air- Expeditionary Operations Group, whose main base il Aviation Authority and air navigation services, Additionally to the usual aircraft operations at craft for transport flights to foreign countries in in Europe since May 2018 is the Mirosławiec Air drones could fly in accordance with the same prin- Ämari AB in 2020, we can also mention the exer- a significantly larger volume than planned. Using Base, Poland. One of the reasons for the relocation ciples as manned aircraft. cise of the United States F-15E Strike Eagle fight- our own plane was several times cheaper and often of the drones was the repair of the main runway. The mission of the MQ-9 Reaper in Europe is ers for conducting front armament and refueling also the only way to transport deployable units to An equally important reason was the expansion of to ensure the security of the region and to practice point operations. The special operations’ tiltrotor transit airports in time or to bring specialists nec- cooperation with the Allies. the rapid deployment of troops. Drones help to in- aircraft CV-22 Osprey was also used in coopera- essary for the maintenance of military equipment In the past, drones have also been based in Ro- crease situational awareness in the air, on ground tion with the EDF, during this time both the tacti- to Estonia. The M-28 has also made its first ship mania. The MQ-9 Reaper has been a frequent vis- and at sea, making an important contribution to cal transportation of the units and the firing from identification flights at sea. itor in Estonian airspace, but without landing here intelligence gathering. the machine gun onboard were performed. 2020 was another milestone year in the de- before. In addition, this drone can carry both air-to- The diversity of air operations was demon- velopment of unmanned aircraft, and Estonia is Hosting the drones, the Estonian Defense Forc- ground guided missiles and guided bombs, and it strated Sept. 21. On the same day, during a flight not just a bystander. The operation of a drone fly- es gained significant experience in compiling the can detect and destroy targets independently. It is rescue exercise at Kiltsi Airport, an air force he- ing at the same altitude as passenger planes from necessary procedures and acquired new knowledge. an aircraft equipped with a wide range of moni- licopter also found a person who had actually Ämari AB is of symbolic and forward-looking sig- The Ämari AB of the Estonian Air Force is also the toring, targeting and intelligence equipment. Long disappeared near Hatu village. On that day, the nificance. The EDF also support other authorities home base of NATO air policing fighters, where flight times ensure good intelligence gathering and NATO Air Force exercise Ramstein Alloy and the with drones produced in Estonia, and it seems round-the-clock readiness for the take-off of armed support the targeting of other aircraft and weapon electronic warfare exercise Ramstein Guard took that there is no limit to cooperation and use when fighters must be ensured. systems. place. At the same time, there were eight fighters it comes to drones.

52 53 MQ-9 Reaper

The MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. It made its first flight in 2001 and was introduced to the service of U.S. Air Force in 2007.

Crew (remote): Two (pilot and sensor operator) Length: 36 feet Wingspan: 66 feet Height: 12.5 feet Weight: 4,900 pounds Maximum takeoff weight: 10,500 pounds Payload: 3,750 pounds Thrust: 900 shaft horsepower maximum Remote control station Max speed: 300 mph Honeywell Cruise speed: 194 mph Multi-Spectral TPE331-10GD Range: 1,150 miles Targeting System: turboprop engine Endurance: 14 hours fully loaded infrared sensor, Ceiling: Up to 50,000 feet color, monochrome Operational altitude: 25,000 feet daylight TV camera, Armament: shortwave infrared 7 hardpoints camera, laser Up to four air-to-surface missiles and designator, laser illuminator and Up to two 500-pound laser-guided bombs radars Testing of air-to-air missiles is underway

The primary user is U.S. Air Force. Other operators include UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Morocco and India.

Up to 14 Hellfire missiles or four missiles and two 500-pound laser-guided bombs

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line as the sun sets at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., Nov. 20, 2019. The Reaper provides dominant, persistent attack and reconnaissance 24/7/365. U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Class William Rio Rosado NAVY

NEW WINDS FOR THE NAVY

COMMODORE JÜRI SASKA Commander,

stonian Navy received two new force Undoubtedly, the acquisition of new weapon protection vessels built by Baltic Workboats. systems, such as the coastal missile system and naval These vessels – EML Roland and EML Risto mines, will also be a major challenge, leading to the mark a new era for the Navy. recruitment and training of additional personnel. EThe introduction of new vessels will significantly It also means improving the training of the entire fill gaps in ensuring situational awareness, establishing Estonian Defense Forces in order to increase the force protection at sea and in the training of our naval readiness to conduct joint operations. officers. These are the first vessels built according to the wishes and needs of the Navy. They are designed SEA REQUIRES COOPERATION to withstand extreme weather conditions and high Sea surveillance has also developed at a rapid waves. pace, and now I dare to say with certainty that the The force protection vessels will be assigned to the Navy is developing a better understanding of who newly established 3rd Division. The task of this unit is moving in our seas and what they are doing. will be protecting the naval vessels and ports. This Situational awareness at sea is an important part of also includes ensuring secure maritime transport and providing early warning, and the Navy contributes supporting situational awareness at sea. to its creation through its presence at sea. In the These vessels are made of aluminum, and in development of sea surveillance, cooperation with addition, ballistic protection panels have been used. the Maritime Administration and the Police and The vessels are equipped with a completely new wave- Border Guard Board has significantly improved in piercing bow solution. This helps to cut waves better, recent years. which significantly increases its vertical stability and We have also connected the radar systems of top speed. the Transport Administration and the Police and Border Guard Board with the Navy Command MAIN EFFORT Centre. At the end of the year, we started automated In 2020, minehunter EML Cowan information exchange with Latvia and Lithuania, participated in a five-month deployment as part of which was achieved thanks to the adoption of a Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1. common software and hardware system. This is a This was quite challenging, due to the limitations of textbook example of how the three Baltic States can COVID-19, the team lived «behind a fence», so to work together. speak, even when visiting the homeport. However, A new naval command system is also being their main task was fulfilled in an exemplary manner. developed; this is one of our responsibilities as an ally Petty Officer1 st Class Mairo In 2021, the Navy will see a new structure in NATO. In 2020, we started implementing a ship- Küünarpuu, Instructor of the adopted. The naval headquarters and divisions as its to-shore shortwave capability development project. Training Department, Naval subunits will be re-established. The Guard Battalion This will provide a better survivability and secure School, on board the new force will leave the naval base and the barracks currently link with our own warships and with NATO fleets. protection vessel EML Roland at at their disposal will be adapted to the needs of the All in order to be able to communicate securely with its commissioning in the port of Nasva, Saare County, Dec. 10. Navy, after which the Navy will move there by 2022 control points in times of crisis or war, whether they EDF photo by at the latest. are at sea or on shore, our own or our Allies. Sgt. 1st Class Ardi Hallismaa

57 Force protection vessel Navy 18WP EML Roland on its maiden voyage at the Suur Katel Length: 57 feet 3 inches Bay, Saare County, Dec. 10. EDF photo by Width: 16 feet 1 inch Sgt. 1st Class Ardi Hallismaa Draft: 5 feet 3 inches Speed: 33 knots Armament: In the bow, a .50-caliber remote weapon station Sea deFNder In the stern, two .50-caliber heavy machineguns

The wave-piercing bow design pro- vides a longer waterline length when compared to a traditional hull vessel. In rough sea conditions when the bow becomes submerged, the top surface of the bow creates increased down- force, which compensates for the buoyancy of the bow. The bow design reduces pitching motions and pro- vides a smoother ride for Captain and crew at all speeds. When compared to a traditional hull, a wave-piercing hull design provides 40% less vertical acceleration and up to a 30% improve- ment in fuel economy, which improves the bottom line of your business. SPECIAL FORCES must constantly improve theirskills. operationsin military themselves and Forces, SpecialForces alsotake part addition to Armed advisingtheMalian at ajoint exercise Nov. inMali, 29 French andEstonian SpecialForces French Ministry of ArmedForces photo . In ESTONIAN SPECIAL creasing the combat capability of the Malian Armed Forces. Raising the morale needed for combat helps to cope on your own. Equally important is the un- FORCES IN MALI derstanding that the Malian company is not a sepa- rate unit run by Special Forces, but it is above all an equivalent partner unit, much better familiar with LT. COL. MARGUS KUUL the local conditions. Commander, Estonian Special Operations Forces In special operations, counselling is never a one-sided process, quite the opposite. It all starts with the ability to learn and to listen the locals. This is a unique skill. It is often taught to soldiers in the- oretical level, but Special Forces actually follow it. stonian government decided to increase Therefore, the recommendations of the Malian the participation of the Estonian Defense company leadership on how to act in the local con- Estonian Special Forces operators with the Jackal Forces in the French-led military operation 2 vehicle and the French Special Forces operators text must be listened very carefully. Only then can we Barkhane in Mali, Sept. 2019. The decision was with the Panhard VPS vehicle in Mali, Nov. 29. The guide them in the planning, preparation and execu- made to contribute with a strategic capability and Jackals were lent to by the Ministry of tion of special operations. During the special opera- Eto send Estonian Special Operations Forces there to Defense of the United Kingdom for until the Coyote tions, the confidence of the Malians increased. This cooperate with French Special Forces and to advise vehicles ordered by Estonians arrive. is the main goal of the Special Forces – local combat- French Ministry of Armed Forces photos the armed forces of Mali. ants must be able to carry out tasks independently. Thus, Estonian SOF together with other spe- cialists of the EDF started their service in the Task TERRORISM KNOWS NO BORDERS Force Takuba, July 2020. Special Forces may be The climate of Mali is also worth mentioning. The considered a force multiplier. The mission of this rotation of the task force began at a time when task force is to train, advise and support the Malian temperatures reached up to 50 degrees Celsius. The Armed Forces in special operations against terrorists post-drought rainy season was more watery than who want to create an Islamic State. usual in the Sahel region and this caused problems. Special operations with the Malians took us hun- LOCAL KNOWLEDGE dreds of miles from the main base to the Sahara. These tasks require experienced and well-trained Familiarity with the landscape was important for dedicated Special Forces operators. In addition to smooth movement. military pedagogy they must also be able to speak The description of the French Special Forces the local language. This is what makes the Special experienced in the area of operation was highly ac- Forces special – the knowledge of the local language curate: one day of rain equals three days of impen- multiplies the success rate of the tasks worked on. etrable terrain. Knowing the local circumstances and considering the risks, a three-week operation, sider the valuable experience gained from each of In essence, it is a lightweight mobile recce and typical of special operations, was carried out in the the following Malian rotations for possible future strike unit. Most Malians had had some military South Liptako region. In terms of size, the area was The mission of Task Force Takuba is to challenges. training in the past. The Estonian and French Spe- similar to the territory of Estonia. In difficult con- train, advise and support the Malian The best recognition for both Estonian and cial Forces were responsible for approximation of ditions, 750 miles were covered, and 2,800 liters of French Special Forces operators are the results of the company-level training and raising the level of water was consumed. Armed Forces in special operations operations carried out together with Malian Special general training. All that in order to maximize the The Takuba Special Forces have a strategic im- against terrorists. Forces. The effectiveness of the special operations of chances of success of future special operations. pact in the fight against terrorism. Terrorism knows the Task Force Takuba has also been highlighted by The training consisted of shooting practice, no borders. Islamist terrorist organizations want Special Forces operators must also understand the generals of our ally, France. medical training, training in the use of means of to rebuild the Islamic State, which was created in the culture and religion of Mali. All this supports transport and training in the movement of small 2014 and later crushed, in the Sahel region of Afri- knowledge of the foreign environment. This will MAXIMUM CHANCE OF SUCCESS units in the terrain. In addition, so-called counsel- ca. Sowing Europe with a wave of terrorism is part also help to better advise service members of the The first unit of the Estonian Special Forces was ling “without a gunshot” was provided consistently of the Islamic State’s strategy. Malian Armed Forces in planning special opera- transferred Mali with an equivalent unit of the at the command level. To prevent this from happening, we must make tions. If necessary, they must be instructed in diffi- French Special Forces in June. Together, the corner- In the first stage, before the special operations, our contribution with our Allies in Mali. We must cult situations and in difficult terrain. stone was laid for the further development of the we got to know the local culture, customs and way prevent Islamic extremists from establishing bases The experience gained by the Special Forces Task Force Takuba. At the same time, the Malian of thinking. This laid the foundations for under- in Africa. If they succeed, the next step will be to from both Afghanistan and Senegal will facilitate Armed Forces recruited a company called ULRI standing each other on the battlefield and building create a caliphate. Special operations are always at such tasks. Lessons learned have also been shared (unité légère de reconnaissance et d’intervention). trust and a sense of camaraderie. strategic hotspots. These are the places where, to- through exercises with other units of Special Oper- European Special Forces operators became mentors It is important to understand that, in the case of gether with our allies, we can be most effective in ations Forces in NATO. For now, we can also con- for this unit. special operations, advising and assisting means in- preventing threats to us.

62 63 MILITARY SERVICE MILITARY

Women, participating the job-shadowing The objective of the job-shadowing pro- program in Estonian Defense Forces, adjusting gram, taking place from 2018, is to raise their military equipment in Tapa, Aug. 17. women’s awareness of military service. The Females aged 15–24 can go to a selected participants of this program thought that all military unit to get acquainted with conscrip- soldier’s tasks in the EDF can also be done tion. The job-shadowing program in the by women. Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade, lasted Every year, almost 100 women volunteer 24 hours, during which 40 women were able for military service, more than half of whom to take part in the everyday life and routine of go on to become active service members. a conscript soldier, wear soldier’s equipment 10% of the EDF active service members are and participate in military training in the field. women. espite the difficult global situation, Milrem two vehicles. The fact that the Netherlands boug- Union Member States: Estonia, as the project’s lead THE FUTURE Robotics managed to launch a new genera- ht additional vehicles from Milrem Robotics is a partner, but also Belgium, Spain, Latvia, France, tion of robotic combat machines, win a pro- great recognition for the company, but not a bigger Germany and . BELONGS TO ROBOTIC ject to develop the European standard unmanned recognition than an order from the EDF – the com- In addition to Milrem Robotics, European SYSTEMS Dground vehicle and expand the use of its flagship – pany’s longstanding partner, who has contributed defense industry giants such as Safran Electronics THeMIS UGV – to new markets, including finally to the development of the vehicle with advice and & Defense, NEXTER Systems, Krauss-Maffei Estonia. All that in 2020. assistance over the years. Wegmann, Diehl Defense are also participating in GERT D. HANKEWITZ In September, the Centre for Defense Invest- the project. Estonian companies participating also Export Director, Milrem Robotics ment signed an agreement to jointly procure seven JOINT EUROPEAN PROJECT include DefSecIntel Solutions, Threod Systems, THeMIS UGVs together with the Netherlands. In addition to Estonia and the Netherlands, nine Rantelon and the Estonian Military Academy as a Three of the seven vehicles will start service in the other countries have acquired the THeMIS, and as research and development institution. Estonian Defense Forces and four in the 13th Bri- many as seven countries using the UGV are mem- «It is a great honor for Estonia to lead this gade, Royal Netherlands Army. bers of NATO. The plan is to increase the num- project, but at the same time this also means that According to the agreement, Milrem Robotics ber of users in the coming years, and hopefully the the state has a great responsibility, as it is an un- is the systems integrator who, in addition to delive- project iMUGS, or Integrated Modular Unmanned precedented project,» said Martin Jõesaar, Head of ring the vehicles, also takes care of the installation Ground System, which was funded by the Euro- the Project Management Department, Centre of of all third-party equipment, including the weapon pean Commission last year, will give a strong im- Defense Investment, commenting on the project systems onto the vehicles. Weapon systems integra- petus to do so. agreement. «The objective of the state is not only ted onto the vehicles procured by the Netherlands The iMUGS project has a budget of €32.6 mil- the successful implementation of the project, but are, of course, under human control. lion for the development of a standard European also the creation of new development projects based The 13th Brigade is already familiar with the UGV solution based on the THeMIS. The objecti- on the systems developed as part of this project.» THeMIS since April 2019, when its robotics and ves of the project and the requirements of the tech- The European market for unmanned ground autonomous systems unit commissioned the first nical solution have been agreed by seven European vehicles will grow by more than €1 billion over

Prototype of the robotic combat vehicle Type-X photographed July 9, 2020. Milrem Robotics photo the next 10 to 15 years. European countries need As a result, the Type-X is many times more ca- «One of the main advantages of the Type-X In addition to unmanned vehicles, Milrem Ro- thousands of vehicles during this time. As the pro- pable than the THeMIS. Vehicle acquisition and is its intelligent functions, such as follow-me, botics also co-established a consortium named 6x6 duct created under iMUGS is based on European subsequent lifecycle management are also signi- point-to-point navigation and object recognition EST consisting mainly of defense and industrial needs and requirements, it has a significant compe- ficantly cheaper than traditional vehicles. The Ty- functions, which are controlled by artificial intelli- companies, that at the end of last year proposed titive advantage. pe-X RCV has been developed with the specifics gence,» said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robo- to develop Estonia’s very own armored personnel of the modern battlefield in mind. tics. «Also, Milrem Robotics’ software developers carriers. TYPE-X ROBOTIC COMBAT VEHICLE The Type-X can be equipped with up to a 50 have taken a totally new and innovative approach Namely, the Estonian Ministry of Defense While active sales were taking place to capture mar- mm automatic cannon. With a 30mm cannon to allow remote controlled operations on higher wishes to procure 100–300 6 × 6 APCs for the kets with the THeMIS, the company was develo- it can be transported to the battlefield by tac- speeds.» EDF in the next 10 years. According to the con- ping a completely new Robotic Combat Vehicle tical transport aircraft and then be parachuted to The Type-X RCV successfully passed its first sortium, APCs should be ordered domestically – the Type-X. While the THeMIS supports dis- the ground. The C-130J and KC-390 transport mobility tests at the end of 2020. The top speed of rather than purchased from elsewhere. This would mounted troops, the Type-X is designed to support aircraft can hold one Type-X, the A400M two and the armored vehicle is 50 mph on the road and 30 leave most of the €140–400 million investment mechanized units. the C-17 five. mph on terrain. in Estonia.

THeMIS UGV participating live fire exercise on the central training ground of the Estoni- an Defense Forces near Tapa, May 15, 2019. Milrem Robotics photos Type-X robotic combat vehicle Length: 19 feet 8 inches Width: 9 feet 6 inches Height: 7 feet 2 inches Weight: 26,455 pounds Maximum payload: 9,000 pounds Maximum road speed: 50 mph Maximum terrain speed: 30 mph Speed in reverse: 50 mph Ground clearance: 20 inches Maximum grades: 100% Fording depth: 59 inches Turning radius: Pivot Primary weapon: Up to 50 mm automatic cannon Secondary weapon: 7. 62 mm coaxial machine gun Kinetic energy protection (incl. artillery): STANAG 4569 (L4) Mine protection: STANAG 4569 (L1)

The Type-X RCVs are intended to support mechanized units by acting as a wingman to main bat- tle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles or armored per- sonnel carriers. The vehicle provides equal or overmatch- battlefield and perform tasks, keeping the ing firepower and tactical usage compared to traditional operator in the loop with real-time situa- IFVs. The RCV can be equipped with a main armament tional awareness. of a 30 mm to 50 mm automatic cannon and utilized to The Type-X is designed to have low maintenance localize and engage targets and provide flanking support. costs and its modular design allows it to be easily up- The Type-X considerably raises troop survivability gradable. It is designed for operations encompassing the and lowers lethality risks by increasing standoff dis- entire spectrum of conflict from permissive to denied tance from enemy units. It is a rapidly deployable and environments, fighting effectively in both conventional dependable unit, able to autonomously navigate the and non-conventional conflicts.

70 71 Published by Strategic Communication Department, Headquarters of the Estonian Defense Forces Produced by Strategic Communication Centre, Cyber Command, Estonian Defense Forces Edited by 2nd Lt. Raiko Jäärats Design and layout by Ivo Sokka Translated by Avatar Translation Bureau Printed by Spin Press ISSN 2613-4934

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