Baltic Defence Review No. 3 Volume 2000 The Defence League and Defence Districts By Ants Laaneots, Major General of the Estonian Defence Forces The experience of the defense wars in the last century has shown that the stable force in every place of the country success of military activities does not depend only on the fighting ability and securing the rear area. It is important to bravery of the units waging war on the front but more and more on what is done know that organized resistance will be put to ward off the enemy on the whole territory of the country. Next to the units up everywhere the enemy has appeared with the main intensity of the regular combat activities, the numerous complex including the territory seized by the en- of military units and establishments carry out all kinds of tasks in forming war emy. The system of territorial defense is time units, providing all the necessary supplies for the fighting units, securing the instrument used to solve these prob- and supporting the fighting units and protecting citizens from the dangers and lems. hardships of war all over the country. In a majority of the European coun- tries, particularly in those that do not Nowadays an aggressor will use numer- is very difficult to predict in which part belong to any military alliances, the armed ous special forces in an attack: land- and of the country the enemy may suddenly forces are divided into; general-purpose marine assault, air- and rocket impacts in appear therefore the means and readiness forces and territorial units. Such classifi- order to neutralize power- and command to face him must be evenly distributed all cation is used in the armies in Finland, structures, destroy or seize important over the country. To preserve the defen- Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, objects and economy, and to quickly sup- sive will of the fighting units and of the Poland, Latvia, Lithuania etc. press resistance and the defense ability of whole population warding off the aggres- As a rule, general-purpose forces com- the population of the victim country. It sion it is particularly important to have a pose a more battle efficient and mobile 93 Baltic Defence Review No. 3 Volume 2000 part of the armed forces. They are desig- territorialism. Total defense embraces the In one or the other way we have both nated to solve the major combat tasks of idea that military defense of a small coun- of the mentioned components. the national defense in the core of aggres- try is able to achieve its goals only when Peacetime units of the armed forces sion in any part of the country. They are the entire population participates in it prepare and form general-purpose forces not permanently assigned to any area of with all available means. The territorial necessary for the wartime. responsibility. structure serves this purpose and allows Territorial units are located all over the achieving it. Territorial defense is based on the country and they have certain areas of Today Estonia has achieved the cor- Defense League responsibility. In a way they form a na- rect solution of the national defense that tionwide security cover and fill various needs only further detailing and consist- Also we do not have to start creating tasks both in own rear and in the terri- ent implementing. Both the Scandinavian territorial units from the scrap. When our tory occupied by the enemy. experts and the experts from NATO have neighbors in Finland form their territo- declared our general defense conception rial units only while declaring mobiliza- Territorial defense in Estonia fitted for the purpose. It provides decen- tion, we have already in peacetime a na- The conception of Estonian national tralizing the national defense in time of tionwide territorial defense structure in defense has gone through a development war and creating regional military-terri- the form of the units of the Defense League of eight years. The purpose was to estab- torial body of troops defense regions that are well suited for the establishment lish a system of defense forces that is as with vast authority and responsibility. The of wartime territorial defense. Addition- easy, practical and effective as possible, defense region consists of general-purpose ally the areas of responsibility of the that would guarantee completing the military- and territorial defense units. It Defense League units coincide with the mobilization task and resistance in every has a fixed area of responsibility where it countrys administrative divisional units case no matter what the situation. The is fully responsible for preparing and suc- counties, which makes it considerably national defense models of the Nordic cessfully conducting defensive activities easier to connect the military side of the countries served as a good example. also in the situation where the central national defense with civilian society and The basic principles of our national command of the national defense in no to establish and implement the total defense are of a total nature and based on longer operational. defense system as a whole. 94 Baltic Defence Review No. 3 Volume 2000 However the Defense League law does principle of its members being volunteers • Preparing the defense districts area not determine wartime tasks for the or- and it becomes a specific part of the of responsibility for defense activities; ganization, but regulates the activities of defense forces territorial force, it units • Securing and reinforcing the bor- the Defense League. These are established become defense districts. der guards (in frontier defense districts); in the mobilization plan, in the overall • Helping local municipal govern- plan of national defense and in other le- Tasks of the defense districts ments, government establishments and the gal documents concerning national defense police in guaranteeing the public order that are ratified by the Commander of The tasks, structure and order of for- according to legislation; the Defense Forces (in wartime supreme mation are determined by the order of • Organizing guarding and protection commander). However, in peacetime the the Commander of Defense Forces from of important national and military ob- Defense League is not capable of carrying December 1998. jects, material supplies; out all tasks of wartime territorial defense. Being three to four times larger than • Manning observation posts and com- The calculations show that the minimum the peacetime unit the defense district mand points that belong to the close-air staff necessary to carry out the tasks of (DD) is a tactical unit of territorial defense surveillance system (CASS) of air defense territorial defense is 30 000 people. The with a structure and set area of responsi- and making sure the observation tasks are voluntary national defense organization bility adjusted for it. completed constantly; Defense League incorporates a relatively The tasks that a defense district must • Organizing the take-over of military small amount (8 200 people) of members complete in their area of responsibility quarters and other objects on the depar- of different background and age which is are wide and various. More important of ture of the units and their purposeful use simply not enough. Defense League units these tasks are: and care; must become the framework that is go- • Carrying out tasks of raising the • Combat with the enemy reconnais- ing to be the basis of forming wartime defense readiness and in case of mobiliza- sance-diversion groups and the air- and territorial units defense districts. The tion forming the units that are both per- marine assaults; missing personnel will be formed out of manent staff and the units appointed for • Protecting the area of responsibility the reserves by mobilization. Thus the the task; either independently or together with Defense League changes its nature in war- • Helping the National Defense Depart- other military units in case the enemy time, as it cannot be based only on the ments and units conduct mobilization; attempt to conquer it; 95 Baltic Defence Review No. 3 Volume 2000 • Calculating and preparing military veillance system (CASS) of air defense, to need to complete tasks characteristic to reserves according to the tasks set by the complete tasks of internal security and these arms; commander of the defense district; guerilla activities in own area of respon- • Engineer sub-units to obstruct the • Providing supplies to the military, sibility; enemy movement, to destroy objects and evacuation of the injured and the sick from • Combat sub-units to complete un- demination, to do ground work, to re- the battle area and securing the rear ac- expected general military, guerilla and pair bridges and roads, to guarantee cross- cording to the tasks set by the commander other combat tasks in own DD and in ing over bodies of water. It is practical to of the defense district; areas of responsibility of other defense make use of peacetime road- and bridge • Organizing and commanding guerilla districts within the defense region; construction organizations in forming activities resistance movement in case the • Anti-tank, air defense and artillery engineer sub-units; enemy has seized the area of responsibility sub-units are formed according to the • Training sub-units to form new units • Helping the local authorities imple- ment civil defense. The structure and composition of every DEFENCE DISTRICT COMBAT FORMATION defense department depends on its location Borderline of a Guard and wartime tasks. For example, one of the Company area of tasks of a DD that is situated on the coast responsibility Borderline of a Guard or on islands may be protecting the coast. Platoon area of It means that coastal defense units must be responsibility a part of that DD. A DD with an open Air Observation Post area that has a danger of enemy attacks by Enemy tanks may need anti-tank sub-units etc.