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“Members of the LAF lead the joint patrols. They know the areas we patrol and speak the local language, which makes it easier for the UN forces to carry out our duties and thus enhances the opportunity for us to discover potential threats, as rocket launch positions for instance,” Platoon Leader, Second Lieutenant Janari Jaansoo said.

UNIFIL and LAF carry out regular foot and mechanized patrols, man checkpoints, host joint exercises and training, as well as conduct operations to recover and destroy weapons and munitions left from previous conflicts.

While the Estonian platoon of FINIRISHBATT has 1-2 patrols with LAF per week, shared duties and joint trainings are part of the battalion´s routine. Close cooperation between the UNIFIL and LAF forces aims at ensuring safe and secure environment in South Lebanon.

From total over 500 force Finland contributes to Finnish-led battalion with around 300 troops, Ireland around 200 troops and Estonian detachment around 40 troops. FINIRISHBATT is the only multinational battalion with operational units from Finland, Ireland and Estonia operating in UNIFIL Sector West.

As of end of May this year Estonian peacekeepers returned to UNIFIL having served in Lebanon almost 20 years ago.

On June 11, 1999, a column of 30 Russian armoured vehicles entered Serbia from Bosnia. They carried 250 elite Russian airborne troops. Their destination: Pristina airfield in Kosovo. The Nato air campaign against Serbia — the Kosovo War — had just ended but there were yet no allied “boots on the ground” to secure the Kosovan capital.

By the following morning, the small Russian detachment had secured the airfield and created new facts on the ground. Nato now had to make a choice. Force the Russians out of the airfield and risk a war? Or start negotiations? A row broke out between General Wesley Clark, the American supreme commander of Nato, and Britain’s Lt Gen Mike Jackson, in charge of Allied forces on the ground. Clark ordered Jackson to deny Russia control of the airfield. Jackson allegedly retorted that “I’m not going to start the Third World War for you”. And negotiations it was.

That audacious thrust into Pristina made Russia, a staunch supporter of Slobodan Milošević’s murderous Serbian regime, part of the Allied peacekeeping force that had defeated him. It strengthened Moscow’s hand in diplomatic negotiations over the future of Serbia and Milošević’s personal fate.

History, of course, doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. And Russia’s recent military deployment to Syria rhymes with the move into Pristina in more ways than one.
Firstly there is the aim to shield and protect an allied regime, despite it having committed war crimes and atrocities on a massive scale.

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad has been losing ground to the rebels since the spring. Assad's forces have been disintegrating, their fighting ability and morale eroding. At the end of August the rebels were just 15 miles from the strategic port of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast. Losing Latakia could easily have triggered Syria’s entire Mediterranean coastline - the Latakia and Tartus provinces – falling into rebel hands.

That would have been the death knell of the regime. It would have cut off the vital arms supplies being shipped in by Russia and Iran, not to mention losing control of the loyalist Alawite heartland.

Russian ground attack planes stationed at Bassel al-Assad airport near Latakia – twelve Su-25 Frogfoot and twelve Su-24 Fencer – are not there to keep Russian military bases safe. Their real purpose is to support ground operations by Assad's forces. As well as planes and helicopters, Russia has a brigade-size force on the Syrian Mediterranean coast equipped with artillery, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, intelligence and reconnaissance assets. It’s also highly likely to include special forces. That is a remarkable fighting force capable of taking part in direct combat.

Secondly, Russia is gambling that its deployment in Syria paves the way for a rapprochement with the West. As low oil prices hit his export revenues, Vladimir Putin badly needs to end the western sanctions imposed on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. What better way than by promising to end the Syrian civil war and contain Islamic State - something western nations have spectacularly failed to achieve? In exchange for using his influence with Assad to find a lasting solution in Syria, Putin hopes the West would persuade Ukraine to accept Russian demands over its eastern region.

For a war-weary West worried by the rise of Isis, it’s a tempting proposition. But it amounts to nothing - mere smoke and mirrors. Negotiations with Russia will not end the misery in Syria nor contain the spread of Isis. According to a former UN special envoy to Syria, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov once admitted that Moscow has as little influence over Assad as the United States has over Israel. It also has no influence over the main rebel groups fighting Assad. And if Russia was sincere about fighting Isis, it would have joined the existing coalition trying to slay the beast ages ago. Instead there are reports that Moscow has provided safe passage for fighters from the Russian Northern Caucasus to join Isis in Syria and Iraq.

There is one thing Russia can do in Syria, however - and it should alarm us all. Just as it did in Kosovo in 1999, it can effectively control - or even veto - air operations by the anti-Isis coalition over Syria.

Moscow has already installed short-range SA-22 Greyhound air defence systems to protect its forces at Bassel al-Assad airfield near Latakia. But if it chose to deploy its long-range air defences along the Syrian coast – for example the SA-21 Growler, known as S-400 in Russia – it could create an air defence “umbrella’ covering an area from Israel in the south well beyond the Turkish airbase of Incirlik in the north. Incirlik is currently used by the US Air Force for operations over Syria and Iraq. Coastal defence batteries, if deployed in Latakia, could target every vessel within 130 km of the Syrian coast.

Creating hard, military facts on the ground is a tried and tested Russian tactic. If we are not careful, Russia will once again exploit our weakness to give itself a powerful bargaining chip in the military and diplomatic battle over the future of Syria.

Solidarity is what glues Europe together. I have seen a lot of cohesion and burden-sharing when the concerns of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have been addressed over the past year or so.

The migration crisis, to which the situation in Syria contributes, has the potential to divide Europeans, but with bold leadership from our politicians it can be avoided. The West needs to stand together on sanctions and not allow Russia to play games with us.

“Being part of the only multinational battalion in UNIFIL enables even smaller nations like Estonia to contribute to international peacekeeping efforts,” Senior National Representative Estonian Detachment FINIRISHBATT, Captain Mario Lementa said.

Almost 20 years ago UN peacekeeping missions to Croatia (1995) and Lebanon (1996) were the first operations abroad for Estonian Defence Forces after the country restored its independence.

“UN peacekeeping missions have played an integral role in building the expeditionary capability of our armed forces. As we currently serve in Lebanon with the platoon-size unit, the 6-50 fits perfectly with the capacity that we have here,” Lementa added.

Estonian platoon is part of Finnish-Irish Battalion A-Company serving in Sector West of UNIFIL Area of Responsibility. With two decades Estonia has contributed to several UN missions and currently has forces in Mali, as well as military observers contributing to United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) Observers Group in Lebanon.

As of end of May this year Estonian peacekeepers have been conducting patrols; trained and patrolled with Lebanese Armed Forces as well as carried out other peacekeeping duties from their main UN Position 2-45 in At Tiri, Southern Lebanon.

Together with staff officers Estonia has approx. 40 troops in Lebanon. From total over 500 force Finland contributes to Finnish-led battalion with around 300 troops and Ireland around 200 troops. Rotating forces in Blue Line UN Positions 6-50 and 6-52 is part of battalion´s routine.

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Estonia has a clear plan for dealing with any “little green men” — the undercover Russian special forces operatives who sprung up in the early days of the Ukraine crisis last year — according to the country’s chief of defence: they will be shot.

As Nato powers digest the Kremlin’s newfound revanchism, the Baltic region has emerged as an area of particular concern for the alliance — and a potential next-target for Russian militarism and subversive tactics.

But Estonia and its neighbours are not like Ukraine, stressed lieutenant general Riho Terras, the country’s most senior military officer, in an interview with the Financial Times. Estonia, a nation of just 1.3m, is in the midst of its largest peacetime mobilisation exercise this week, involving 13,000 troops, 7,000 of them called up by draft.

If Russian agents or special forces enter Estonian territory, “you should shoot the first one to appear,” Gen Terras said. “If somebody without any military insignia commits terrorist attacks in your country you should shoot him ... you should not allow them to enter.”

Having watched Russia’s undercover operatives quickly and effectively create their own facts on the ground in Ukraine’s restive east last year, with Kiev paralysed and unable to stop them, Nato policy makers and strategists have spent months grappling with the question of how best the alliance should position itself to deal with Moscow’s subversive tactics.

Images of unmarked special forces troops silently taking up positions at key locations, shadowy militias rapidly mobilising in support of Moscow and a relentless information warfare campaign have raised questions about military readiness, intelligence capabilities and the threshold of responding with violence to provocation.

While Estonia is considered by many to be on the front line of the alliance in facing such a threat, dealing with it is a question of Nato’s unity, as much as it is tactics, said Gen Terras.

“Hybrid warfare is nothing new. You can deal with it only with the cohesion of the nation, with integrity, with all society working together.”

“[Estonia] is a functioning society,” he stressed. “We are not like Ukraine . . . But we need to be very well aware of what is happening in Russia and be ready.”

Most importantly, Gen Terras said, Nato needed to be prepared to stand behind his country and go to war in the event of his forces having to forcibly confront any Russian interference in a way that Kiev was initially unable to do.

“We need to make sure that we believe in article five,” he said — referring to the principle of collective defence in Nato’s founding treaty — “but, even more importantly, we need to make sure that Mr [Vladimir] Putin believes in article five. And I think we should put a lot of emphasis on that.”

Maintaining defence spending was particularly crucial, he added. Cuts to the defence budgets of countries such as the UK, he said, directly impacted upon Estonia’s safety.

Members of Nato are obliged by the alliance to spend 2 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence, but only a handful currently hit such a target. Britain, Nato’s largest European defence spender, is set to fall well below its obligation over the course of the next five years, based on current government projections.

The UK and others “need to be convinced” to spend more, according to Gen Terras.

He also warned against any move to scrap or scale back Britain’s ageing nuclear arsenal — a key and expensive decision that needs to be taken by the UK government in the coming months. The UK is Nato’s only European nuclear power. Although France has atomic weapons it has a special opt-out that means its nuclear forces operate entirely independently of the alliance.

“[Nuclear weapons are] one of the very important Nato capabilities which have kept Nato countries out of war from the beginning, and it should be that way,” Gen Terras said.

A decision by the UK to wind back its nuclear capabilities would be damaging, said Gen Terras, even if it would be domestically popular.

“It would [impact us]. It would impact Nato. It needs to be discussed at the Nato table, for sure. I have seen Britain as a very reliable Nato ally always, throughout [Estonia’s] history. They have a prominent position.”

Siil/Steadfast Javelin involving over 7,000 of reserve forces and in total 13,000 troops from Estonia and Allied countries kicked off in locations all over Estonia this week and runs from May 4 to 15.

“I was pleased to see the enthusiasm among the reservists, service members, Home Guard and Allied forces when inspecting the troops,” Commander of Estonian Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Riho Terras said.

According to Terras the forces are now battle-ready and have completed the mobilization phase. “This demonstrates the will Estonia´s reserve soldiers have to defend their own country, but also serves as an example how the society supports the reserve-based system,” Terras added. All troops called up are now 100% manned with the overall turn-up 90%, while in some units over 110% reservists showed up. The organisers sent out more notifications to secure units are properly manned for the exercise tactical phase.

„Every participant has the duty to be thoughtful, creative and give their best contribution for the exercise to be successful. Every soldier, NCO, officer and participant matters. Let us be worthy of the exercise, as every quill counts,” Terras said, referring to the name of the exercise Siil (hedgehog).

The exercise has been in the making for three years, while building the reserve-based system has taken Estonia over 20 years. The absence at work is compensated for reservists, national institutions as well as businesses incl. international corporations like G4S, Coca-Cola, Danske Bank, Stora Enso have stepped up to provide additional compensation for their employees as part of the broad-based defence initiative.

The objective of the exercise is to test the full staging of the permanent readiness troops and additional staging of rapid response reserve units. The exercise also trains receiving of mobilized personnel. In addition, the 1st Infantry Brigade will exercise its operational capabilities as well as tactical and operational command.

Siil/Steadfast Javelin is divided in three phases: from May 4 to 8 the staging and initial training of troops, May 9 to 12 tactical training and operational activities of the 1st Infantry Brigade; May 13 to 15 ENDEX and initial maintenance of the equipment.

The equipment used during the exercise features APCs, artillery units, air defence systems, combat engineering and transport and support vehicles. The U.S. M1A2 Abrams tanks, Polish attack aircraft SU-22, four United Kingdom Eurofighter Typhoons, currently participating in the NATO Balitic Air Policing mission as well as additional Hawks and U.S. attack aircraft A-10.

Siil/Steadfast Javelin main training areas are in Lääne and Ida Viru, Tartu and Võru Counties (Võrtsjärve, Kanepi, Nursipalu areas). Most of the field training during the phase will take place in Virumaa, particularly in Lääne-Viru County Vinni, Väike-Maarja, Laekvere and Rägavere parishes and in Ida-Viru County Jõhvi, Kohtla, Mäetaguse, Lüganuse and Sonda parishes. The final roll-call of the exercise is held in Tapa Airfield. Exercise logistic support is coordinated from Eametsa, Pärnu.

Siil/Steadfast Javelin is the biggest exercise in the Baltic Sea region this year and focuses on training the Estonian infantry brigade in ground operations, but will also involve air operations.

With the past years Estonia has made substantial investments in defence and maintains the NATO required 2% GDP spending. Siil/Steadfast Javelin serves as an opportunity to assure Estonia has built well trained and equipped, capable forces prepared to defend the country with Allied units.

Over 600 Allied troops from Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, UK and U.S. take part. OSCE is to send observers to the exercise.

Respected President of the Republic!

Honoured Speaker of the Riigikogu!

Mr. Prime Minister!

Excellences! Members of the Defence Forces and Defence League!

Fellow countrymen! Good citizens of Narva!

Last night at sunset we placed a wreath at the Independence War memorial in Riigiküla. This is a small place by the Narva river, where last year they restored the memorial for those that went to war, weapon in hand to defend our young republic.

Riigiküla (“Village of the Nation” in English). For a small village this name is highly symbolic with a very large meaning. The Estonian national forces victory in the Riigiküla battle was just as large and symbolic in its meaning. They successfully repelled a Red Army force three times their size.

Historically we know that the most tense battle actions of the Independence War began around Narva and ended around Narva. Estonia won that war thanks to the Estonian people coming forth to fight the enemy.

Estonians and Russians stood shoulder to shoulder in the Independence War. In the struggles and battles legends and heroes were born.

Many Estonian officers and soldiers of Russian decent with their deeds of valour and heroism in battle earned the highest military decoration in Estonia – the Cross of Liberty.

Without exaggeration we can say that Sub-Polkovnik (Lieutenant Colonel) Konstantin Troitski and Captain Piotr Feofanov were true heroes of the Independence War.

They made life truly difficult for the Bolshevik army as well as for the Red Latvian Riflemen.

History has taught us that if we do not defend ourselves no one else will, and if we leave a security environment vacant it will be filled for us.

The events in Ukraine that have kept the entire world awake, demonstrate very clearly that we ourselves must maintain security and a sense of confidence for our nation. This all begins at home and with family, at school and in society. Trust between the state and the people is the best defence against all threats.

Estonia has chosen a broad-based approach for its defence where every one of us can make a contribution – at work, with service or through volunteering. Everyone’s clear understanding of their role in national defence ensures that the state functions, even at the most difficult of times.

Fellow countrymen, the Estonian Defence Forces is force for every one of us. We have worked for close to a quarter of a century so that we can say that the Defence Forces and Defence League – are a real military power.

We have conducted our activities with the basic principles that real power can be demonstrated in battle by units that are manned and well trained as well as properly armed and equipped.

In a few months this force will be performing its most important exam since its re-creation.

The Defence Forces´ large scale exercise Siil 2015 will be bringing together more than 13,000 Defence Forces and Defence League members. Our friends and Allies will also be participating in the exercise. The experiences we hope to accomplish from this major exercise will be the beginning base for further developing our reserve force.

With full confidence, I can assure you that the Estonian Defence Forces are in better shape than ever before. The nation of Estonia has seriously and constantly contributed to the development of national defence. We are incorporating new weapons systems this year that will further augment our combat capabilities. Here in Narva, today at the Defence Forces parade you will see Infantry Fighting Vehicles that will increase our manoeuvrability and firepower.

Just as important is the knowledge that our conscripts - our sons and brothers, can now fulfil their mandatory service in much better conditions than ever before. We have built new barracks all over Estonia. This is a sure sign that in the great expectations that we hope from our citizens the nation has responded in kind, in a dignified and respectful manner.

Twenty years has now lapsed since the Estonian Defence Forces´ first operation abroad. Looking back in history, we can consider the mission in Croatia very successful because like Estonia, Croatia is now a European Union and NATO member. This is a remarkable achievement that the Estonian Defence Forces members helped bring about.

Over two and half thousand men and women have participated in operations all over the world. Many of them have put their lives at risk in various war zones for their nation. I want to especially note and bring forth as a good example an outstanding non-commissioned officer, Staff Sergeant Artyom Heinsaar, who has done five tours in Afghanistan. He is here today at the parade with the Scouts Battalion. He is one of us, a son of Narva.

Respected citizens of Narva. Throughout history Narva has been Estonia’s most multi-cultural city. People of many ethnic backgrounds have always lived together here. Russian poet Igor Severyanin is well associated with Estonia, especially with Virumaa. He has devoted verse to your city, where he respectfully honours the history of Narva.

Severyanin writes:

О город древний! город шведский!

Трудолюбивый и простой!

Пленён твоей улыбкой детской

И бородой твоей седой…

Here and now, standing in the main square of Narva, we feel the same respect for this city and its citizens. We are surrounded simultaneously with youthfulness, diligence and a distinguished history.

Narva is an international city even today because along with Defence Forces, Defence League, Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, correctional facilities service units, we have our Allies on parade as well. Our friends from the United States, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, Latvia and Lithuania are in Estonia to participate in and celebrate our nation’s independence and liberty.

They are here to jointly participate in exercises and train alongside our military. The goal of this joint work is simple and straight forward – to better defend Estonia. We greatly appreciate the efforts of our friends.

My good Estonian people! Our home and roots are important to all of us. I am extremely proud to command the Defence Forces parade in the birthplace of my father. Estonia is big enough to have rich regional diversity, in the context of practices and traditions. At the same time Estonia is too small to have divides between set in stone mind-sets and the prevention of prejudice. It is important that today here in Narva we confirm that there is only one Estonia and all of us together must defend it.

It must be clear to us that our national independence and liberty has never been nor never will be self-evident. The state of Estonia exists to defend our people and our freedom.

Long live the Republic of Estonia!

According to Tiganik, the NATO Response Force exercise Trident Juncture, held in southern Europe in autumn will allow to test the NATO´s military capabilities, which considering the current security environment in Europe is important for Estonia as well as to the whole Alliance. „As part of the Baltic Battalion (BALTBAT), Estonia´s Scouts Battalion must accomplish joint tasks with the Spanish Infantry Brigade and be ready to participate in military operations NATO deems necessary,” Tiganik said.

Commander of NATO Allied Joint Command Brunssum, General Hans-Lothar Domröse was in Estonia for a one day visit and also met with the Command of the United States Army unit serving in Estonia. NATO Response Force, which Domröse is due to command in 2016, is being enhanced by a high-readiness Spearhead Force; a capable and interoperable land brigade of around 5,000 personnel, capable of deploying within one week, partly within 48 hours.

„Supported by air, sea and Special Forces, the Spearhead Force will, in case of a major crisis, be supported by two further brigades, as a rapid reinforcement capability; bringing almost the total NRF capability to some 30,000 personnel,“ Domröse said.

Spain, Portugal and Italy will be hosting the exercise Trident Juncture this autumn which will be the largest NATO exercise in past years, where 25,000 military personnel from 30 nations is expected to participate. Estonia will be taking part in the NATO Response Force with a joint battalion with Latvia and Lithuania of which the Scouts Battalion is forming the core element.

NATO JFC Brunssum, in the Netherlands, is one of two NATO joint force headquarters, the other being JFC Naples. The command is responsible for the long term planning of Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. Operational command of NATO Response Force alternates between the joint force commands in Brunssum and Naples. In 2016 Brunssum is in command for NRF.

The purpose of this annual meeting is to provide a venue to discuss regional challenges and identfy opportunities for cooperation. Topics discussed ranged from military developments concerning equipment, to training, exercises and operations.

Among this years topics discussions have focused on Nordic-Baltic capacity package, cyber defence and improved surveillance.

The annual Nordic-Baltic meeting is a regional cooperation mechanism on military affairs. The functioning and constructive Nordic-Baltic defence cooperation has been ongoing since the BALTSEA (Baltic Security Assistance Forum) was established in 1997.

“Air defence is an area where we need support from our Allies and we need to make such exercises by these types of forces to become more frequent,” Terras said, and stressed that it was imperative that crews of Allied vessels with different capabilities understand and know how to manoeuvre in our waters. “Well trained Allied forces ensure quick response if the need arises,” Terras added.

This morning four ships from the Netherlands' naval squadron, the Estonian navy mine hunter Admiral Cowan as well as Air Force units conducted a joint anti-aircraft exercise and trained naval cooperation near the island of Naissaar in Estonian waters.

The air-defence and command frigate Evertsen has an antiballistic missile system on board. She also carries machine guns, rockets and torpedoes as well as a NH-90 helicopter. The ship's tonnage (with full ballast) is 6050 tons, length 144.24 meters, width 18.80 meters, draught 5.18 meters and a maximum speed at 28 knots. The ship has a compliment of nearly 200 personnel.

The submarine Bruinvis, also part of the naval squadron, is one of the Netherland’s four submarines that has the capability of being utilized in both naval warfare as well as reconnaissance operations. The ship is armed with torpedoes. Its tonnage is approx. 1500 tons, length 79.5 meters, width 7.8 meters with speeds of 14.5 knots above water and 17 knots below water. The vessel's compliment consists of 67 individuals.

The naval squadron, in Tallinn for the weekend, also includes the support ship Amsterdam and the patrol ship Zeeland. In addition to the regular compliment of naval personnel, 60 Dutch naval cadets on their seamanship training also took part in the exercise.

Reserve officers from the naval division of the Estonian Defence League’s Tallinn section have volunteered as liaison officers. The main assignment for the liaison officers is to support the visiting personnel with a smooth transition and to assist the exercise as well as guide the visitors in the city area.

A team from Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum met with the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters Estonian Defence Forces, Captain (Navy) Igor Schvede, today, and received an overview of Estonia´s governance structures as well as on the civil emergency preparedness system. The team also received briefings on the current security situation, civil-military relations and on logistical support capabilities.

“The NFIT mission is quite broad, although our main purpose is improving the information exchange,” said the team leader Colonel Hans Houf (Belgian Army) and noted that he appreciates the support his team has received thus far in Estonia.

Last week the NFIT team assessed facilities in Western Estonia and received an overview of support command located in Pärnu. The team also visited the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn. This week the team will familiarize itself with defence and civilian infrastructure in North Eastern Estonia.

JFC Brunssum sent a team of 13 personnel to Estonia to assess facilities that could be made available for future NATO activities and identify opportunities for future multinational training events. The first-hand observations and conclusions that will be made by the NFIT are part of the JFC Brunssum mission to provide capable, credible and flexible forces for the collective defence of the Alliance.