Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, whose two-day visit to Estonia ended today, met with Estonian troops and NATO forces deployed here in the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces in the afternoon.
Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Riho Terras said that Vice President Mike Pence’s visit comes at a significant time and shows that our security concerns are taken seriously. “I am certain that NATO will discuss the gaps left in the defence capability of our region and the decisions for reinforcements will be made together. It is clear that we need to look at the Baltic states´ defence as a complex system, where we need to find a working solutions together with our allies,” Terras added.
Additionally, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, General Riho Terras and Commander of the NATO Battle Group, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Ridland gave an overview of the Allied forces deployed to Estonia to Vice President Pence, President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Latvia Raimonds Vejonis, and President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite in the Generals’ Hall of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces.
During the visit, Vice President Pence made an entry into the guest book of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces, and the Vice President and the Baltic Presidents also planted oak trees in Headquarters´ park.
Since April, the NATO Battle Group in Estonia consists of troops from the United Kingdom, France, and Denmark. The United States troops are deployed in Poland and are regularly rotated in the Baltic States and Poland.
The United States troops will arrive in Estonia again in autumn, as a company-sized unit starts serving in the 2nd Infantry Brigade with the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion.