Today, on May 11th, the Estonian Defence League’s Territorial Defence Region West were forming their reservists during the Spring Storm 2024 exercise. In Saaremaa, units will mainly be staffed with reservists who received additional training during last year’s Parseltongue exercise.
“This is the second time we have conducted a formation of this scale. The last occurrence was in the autumn of last year during Parseltongue,” said Sergeant Reena Ley, logistics officer of the Saaremaa unit of the Estonian Defence League.
The strength of the Territorial Defence Region’s reservists participating in Spring Storm lies in their thorough knowledge of their operational area, which is in vicinity of their homes. Knowledge of the local terrain’s peculiarities, infrastructure, and population plays a significant role in securing national security. Thus, in potential crisis situations, reservists can respond quickly, being aware of local resources, while being informed of possible threats.
In Saaremaa, the reservists’ upcoming activities include post-formation training. Initially, safety briefings are conducted. These are followed by weapon training and coastal defence training, road checkpoint training, vehicle-specific training and force protection exercises.
The Estonian Defence League is a vital part of Estonia’s national defence system and a crucial component in ensuring national security during peacetime, as well as during crises and conflicts. Members of the Territorial Defence Units are obligated to support internal security and national governance, gather information about the activities of adversaries, and assist in the formation of the reservists of the defence forces.
Spring Storm is the largest annual exercise of the Estonian Defence Forces, during which military operations planning and execution are practiced, as well as enhanced cooperation between Estonian and allied units. The exercise involves active-duty military personnel, conscripts, reservists, members of the Defence League, and participants from allied nations.
Spring Storm 2024 is part of the NATO exercise series Steadfast Defender 2024, representing a significant component of this extensive NATO exercise. Steadfast Defender 2024 is the largest NATO exercise in decades, with nearly 90,000 participants from all 32 member states participating over a six-month period from January to July 2024. The broader framework for the exercise has been set by confirmed NATO regional defence plans.
