The overall commander responsible for the Exercise Hedgehog 25, Officer Scheduling the Exercise (OSE), is the Commander of Estonian Defence Forces, Major General Andrus Merilo. The exercise is led by the Exercise Director (EXDIR), Chief of Staff of the Joint Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces, Major General Vahur Karus.
During this year’s Exercise Hedgehog special attention will be paid to the deployment of additional allied units to Estonia, as well as receiving processes and integrating those units into the composition of the Estonian Division while achieving immediate full combat readiness.
Exercise Hedgehog 25 activities will take place all over Estonia. The official dates of the exercise are 5-23 May 2025, but preparations for receiving additional allied units will begin on 20 April.
Timeline and phases
- Until May 4 – deployment of allied units to Estonia
- May 5-7 – formation of units in various locations across Estonia
- May 8-12 – joint trainings and refresher courses for units in various locations across Estonia
- May 13-16 – field exercise active phase in 24/7 rhythm, taking place mainly in Northeast and Southeast Estonia, in lesser extent also in Western, Northern and Central Estonia
- May 17-18 – Preparations for the relocation of units and live fire exercise
- May 19-23 – live fire exercise for designated units at the Central Training Area and movement of other units to their permanent locations.
Participants
*The list of participants may change
Allies and partners who are involved
- Latvia
- Germany
- Poland
- France
- Portugal
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Finland
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Japan
*The list of involved countries may change
Exercise Hedgehog 25 is taking place in the larger framework of NATO exercise Steadfast Deterrence 25, during which the NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) practices planning and conducting deterrence and defense operations at the strategic and operational levels. In addition, Hedgehog 25 is a preparatory exercise for the participation of the Estonian Division in the Multinational Corps Northeast regional planning exercise Griffin Lightning 25.
Siil 2025 Photo gallery
Siil 2025 video stories.
