Last week, Estonian, Finnish and US Artillerymen met at the Satakunta Artillery Regiment in Niinisalo, Finland, to discuss near future and long term cooperation possibilities.
“As our firing ranges increase, we may find ourselves in a situation where we have to share targets with our northern neighbours if necessary. Therefore, taking the long-standing cooperation with our neighbouring artillerymen to a new level in the field of rocket artillery, is high on the agenda,” said Major Tanel Tatsi, Chief of Staff of the Estonian division’s 15th Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion.
“Over the last two days we were able to visit our fellow Artillerymen from our neighbors to the North in Finland and join the Estonian HIMARS Battery Leadership during this event. There was a lot of great discussion on how each of our countries train, operate and maintain Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and their support vehicles. We discussed interoperability and future training opportunities,” said Major Jose Nicolas Martinez, senior officer of the United States HIMARS contingent in Estonia.
In addition, the three countries discussed cooperation in the near future and long term. This due to the fact that next year M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) will also arrive in Estonia. Both the M142 and Finnish M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) use the same family of munitions, therefore an important part of the visit was to familiarize with the management of these munitions and the problems that come with it.
The aim of the visit was to exchange experiences and knowledge with the new NATO allies, both in terms of training and safety procedures. Finnish Artillerymen also introduced the present situation and the future of their unit, as well as their weapon systems and the maintenance and repair solutions that support them.
The M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launcher is considered to be one of the most technically advanced multiple launch rocket systems in the world. Its deployment in the Estonian Defence Forces next year will represent a significant increase in firepower from a national defence perspective, providing a wider range of capabilities. In the course of the training program, the Artillery Battalion of the Estonian Division, together with allies from the United States, are training the necessary reserve and operational personnel for the rapid introduction of the new weapon systems.
