On Monday, June 1, the Estonian Defence Forces concluded the largest exercise of the year, Spring Storm 2026. At its peak, the exercise involved more than 12,000 troops from Estonia and Allied countries, bringing together military personnel from various countries to jointly practice defending Estonia on Estonian soil and, for the first time, in northeastern Latvia. The primary training audiences of the exercise were the 2nd Infantry Brigade (Estonian Division) and Regional Command South (Estonian Defence League).
Major General Indrek Sirel, the officer conducting the exercise Spring Storm 2026, emphasized that such exercises and the commitment to defending the country cannot take place without the support of society. “The support of residents, landowners, businesses, and, of course, the families of conscripts, reservists, and active-duty personnel is vital to conducting these exercises. Today, we are in a somewhat privileged position in this regard compared to many of our Allies, for whom such comprehensive national defence involvement is a novelty. Soldiers win battles, but the people win wars,” said Major General Sirel.
The main objective of this year’s exercise Spring Storm, held for the twentieth time throughout the years, was to practice the planning and execution of defensive operations in cooperation between the Estonian Division and Allies in the simulated conditions of conventional warfare. Simultaneously, cooperation between Estonian and allied units was strengthened, involving other branches and commands of the Estonian Defence Forces. In addition, particular focus was placed on the rapid and large-scale deployment of Allied forces to Estonia, including the United Kingdom’s 4th Brigade and a supplementary French unit, as well as on the reception, integration, and achieving immediate combat readiness of these units within the Estonian Division.
“We can be satisfied with the exercise, but that is precisely the point of an exercise: to highlight areas for improvement. This year, we applied the lessons learned from Ukraine, both in terms of survivability and the use of and countermeasures against unmanned systems,” said Colonel Aron Kalmus, exercise director of the exercise Spring Storm 2026. “We brought defence industry companies directly into the field so that their solutions could receive immediate feedback from our troops. The Spring Storm training battles also extended into Latvian territory with our forces and Allies. Continuous development and the implementation of innovations provide the best foundation for the defence of Estonia and its Allies.”
The exercise Spring Storm 2026, held from May 4 to June 1, began with the Estonian Division’s command post exercise, and during the second week of the exercise, forming up of units, refreshing reservists’ skills, as well as force integration training. The highlight of the exercise was the training battles and maneuvers conducted from May 18 to 22, both in Estonia and, for the first time, in northeastern Latvia. This was followed by live-fire exercises involving Estonian and Allied units at the Estonian Defence Forces’ Central Training Area from May 23 to June 1.
The exercise Spring Storm 2026 was planned and led by the Headquarters of the Estonian Division, and the exercise involved units from the Land Forces, Air Force, and Navy, including the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigade, the Support Command, the Cyber Command, as well as other units of the Estonian Defence Forces and the Estonian Defence League. Representatives of the armed forces of the following allied and partner nations participated in the exercise: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ukraine.
Spring Storm is the largest annual exercise of the Estonian Defence Forces, during which the planning and execution of military operations are practiced, and cooperation between Estonian and allied units is strengthened. The exercise involves active-duty personnel, conscripts, reservists, members of the Estonian Defence League, as well as troops from allied and partner nations. The first exercise Spring Storm was conducted in 2003, and currently this is the 20th Spring Storm. In 2015, 2018, 2022, and 2025, the exercise Hedgehog was held instead of Spring Storm.
