Today, the two-week long international military exercise Pikne („Lightning“) begins in Estonia, during which supplementary Allied units will be rapidly deployed to Estonia to support and train together with the NATO multinational battlegroup and the Estonian Defence Forces in a simulated war situation.
The exercise is led by Estonian Division, and in addition to units of the Estonian Defence Forces and the Estonian Defence League, Allied units from France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Latvia will participate.
“The French forces are practicing their ability to rapidly deploy units to Estonia by air and sea at short notice, and to jointly defend NATO territory alongside us and other allied units. We are putting the synergy and cooperation to test across different countries, branches of service and units,” said Colonel Janno Märk, Chief of Staff of the Estonian Division, summarizing the essence and significance of the starting exercise. „The Defence Forces have long-term experience of cooperation with the armed forces of France, the United Kingdom and the United States in crisis areas, and today we must be ready for a smooth, powerful joint cooperation in the field of defense on our territory.“
The main activities of the exercise, enduring from December 2 to 15, will take place mainly in Northern and North-Eastern Estonia for the land and air forces, and activities of the Estonian and French navies will take place on the Gulf of Finland. The first week of exercise Pikne will focus on the deployment of units and practicing combat activities, while the second week is planned for live fire exercises by allied units at the Sirgala training area. Although the main activities of the exercise organized takes place close to the eastern border of Estonia, the exercise is strictly defensive in it’s nature. During the exercise, imitation devices and material, such as blank cartridges, will be used, causing higher noise level. A total of approximately 2,000 servicemen from Estonia and allied countries will participate in the exercise Pikne.
Estonian Defence Forces highlight that during the two-week exercise, there will be more military convoys and allied units’ equipment moving on the roads of North and North-East Estonia than usual, therefore the Defence Forces emphasize the need for increased attention in traffic and ask for the patience and understanding of other commuters.
In addition, as part of the exercise, notable air activities will take place in the region of North and North-East Estonia, including low-altitude flights.
Estonian and French naval vessels are conducting various combat and cooperation exercises in the Gulf of Finland.
Exercise Pikne is part of NATO’s Vigilance Activity Brilliant Eagle, that focuses on the Allies’ mobility and cooperation capabilities in the Baltic Sea region.
NATO multinational battlegroups are deployed to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Currently, United Kingdom, France and Iceland are the allied countries contributing to the defense of the Estonia within the military cooperation framework.
