Regional focus
hopes to blanket sensitive border areas in UAVs. Supported by central government, local defence industries are ramping up too: among other things, the Estonian government is planning a military industrial park spanning up to 100ha. Beyond the practical utility of these schemes, moreover, Müürisepp is also keen to highlight their deterrence value. “It is not only about being ready,” he says, “but being ready first; not about how credible we ourselves think our deterrence posture is, but how credible Russia finds it.”
Great patriotic wars
Above: French allies at the Spring Storm exercises in 2024.
Below: UK and Estonian Defence League units on Saaremaa Island during Spring Storm exercises in 2024.
Certainly, alongside pushing for greater alliance- wide solidarity, the Baltics have equally been busy looking to their own defence. That’s clear enough when it comes to labour, with Estonia boasting reservists and a volunteer ‘Defence League’ alongside a professional army. “In total,” Müürisepp says, “approximately 230,000 individuals with military obligations are registered in the mobilisation registry, representing nearly 20% of the Estonian population.” From there, Estonia and her neighbours are developing defences for these soldiers to man – a wise decision if they hope to stop eastern invaders in their tracks. A clear example of this strategy is the Baltic Defence Line. Announced in January 2024, the aim is to comprehensively protect the frontiers of all three Baltic States from Russian or Belarusian assault. In Estonia alone, that means building around 600 bunkers, alongside storage areas and anti-tank ditches. Given how important drones have proved in the Ukrainian context, the Baltics are also investing in air defences. Key here is the so-called ‘drone wall’, unveiled by all three Baltic States in May, and which
As the war in Ukraine has so vividly shown, a future war in the Baltics will be truly national struggles. While guns and tanks therefore obviously have a role to play, military planners equally seem conscious of the need to galvanise the wider population. Consider, for instance, an area like railway lines, especially crucial for bringing in arms and personnel from logistics centres in the west. Though he doesn’t go into specifics, Müürisepp therefore says “we will use the entire needed civilian infrastructure” for Estonian defence, something he believes would enjoy the full support of the public.
Morale, the colonel continues, is clearly vital elsewhere too. “It is not only the issue of budget contributions,” he warns, “but a broader understanding of the need to contribute to defence.” To explain what he means, Müürisepp points to the positive attitudes among Estonians towards conscription, or else the fact that employers are proving open to workers taking time off for the training. No less telling is Spring Storm, a major annual exercise that takes place on private land. “The owners,” Müürisepp explains, “are willing to contribute to our defence by letting the soldiers practise on their property.” Considering how hard Estonians and their Baltic cousins have battled for freedom over the past 100 years, such casual patriotism is surely unsurprising. ●
8
Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
Estonian Defence Forces.
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