Last week additional United States infantry members arrived at the Taara base in Võru, increasing the number of U.S. servicemembers in Taara camp to over 330 military personnel. The U.S. infantry unit continues to train and serve with the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Defence Forces, including participation in the exercise Spring Storm 2023.
This increase in troop posture is a continuation of the initial deployment of U.S. forces to Estonia made at the end of last year. The deployment, within the framework of bilateral defense cooperation, is part of the commitment made by U.S. President Joe Biden at the NATO Madrid Summit to enhance the presence of rotational U.S. forces in the Baltic region and to strengthen the deterrence and defense posture on NATO’s eastern flank.
“Soldiers from the U.S. Army V Corps have deployed more capacity and manpower over the past few months to support ongoing training missions in Estonia. The increase in troop posture allows for greater training opportunities with Estonian military units. We look forward to participating in the upcoming ‘Spring Storm’ exercise to demonstrate our interoperability and combined capability with the Estonian Defense Forces. We stand with our Estonian military partners, Stronger Together.”—Lieutenant Colonel Eric Evans, Battalion Commander of 1st Battalion 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
The U.S. infantry unit has been deployed to the Taara base since the end of last year and during this time has participated in various exercises across Estonia in order to increase interoperability. In the upcoming Spring Storm 2023 exercise, the U.S. infantry unit will operate as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade.
Apart from the deployment of U.S. troops, a NATO battle group (Enhanced Forward Presence) led by the United Kingdom currently serves in Estonia, in which French and Danish units and Icelandic. experts also participate. Additionally, there is a UK Royal Air Force unit in Estonia as part of the Baltic Air Policing Mission.
