TO THE READER Major General Martin Herem Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces
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his volume, the 2019 Yearbook of the Estonian Defence Forces, gives a brief overview of the development of the Estonian Defence Forces over the past year, a starting point for further potential advances. You will not find big surprises or sensations here. This book speaks little about military hardware or awe-inspiring combat capabilities. Rather, it provides an overview of the current Estonian military mindset and the military culture that has been taking shape for 28 years. After all, with the exception of expert officers and our enthusiasm on every level, we started building the Estonian Defence Forces almost from scratch in 1991. Today, I can say that we have become an experienced national defence force. This is discussed in articles about conscription, reservist training, learning recognition, and military education, of course. However, we cannot be content with all that has been achieved. There is much to do and improve. We are currently in the process of preparing the National Defence Development Plan, which will, in very specific numbers, set out our development arc up to 2030. It is a long period of time, but we must be as efficient and open as possible within the financial framework that society has allocated to us. Any adversaries we may have must understand that we are indeed, as the name of one of our exercises states, a ‘hedgehog’ in terms of our defensive capacity. Our long process of becoming a national defence force has given us the experience and skills to share with our allies. The members of the Estonian Defence Forces tend to be praised by their allies when it comes to the training of reservists or active members of the Estonian Defence Forces. We can attribute our good reputation to our responsible approach to military defence, not to any unique wisdom or success on Estonia’s part. Of course, the Estonian Defence Forces in their current state are not a phenomenon that emerged recently. This was the objective all along, since the establishment of the Estonian Defence Forces. Over time, experience and enlightenment have developed, which, thanks to the recognition and support of society, has reached the level where it is today. Our citizen-based defence forces can be deployed to defend the country in a very short time. This is encouraging. Meanwhile, our moderate self-confidence is support-
ed by the development of our military science. We no longer only learn from mistakes, but we are increasingly able to consider the circumstances and make the relevant decisions. The steps taken to develop the infrastructure are also proof of balanced development. If we sometimes have doubts as to whether we are pouring our resources into overly extravagant engineering and construction projects, we have to remember the situation a decade ago – in the absence of infrastructure, some weapons systems collapsed as quickly as the other end could be repaired, taking vitality and morale with it. So while it is a pity to pour money into concrete, in light of past mistakes, it makes sense to provide people and weapons systems with good living conditions. It is part of the will to defend and defence capacity. I am always happy to step over the threshold of a sauna in a new barracks and recall the dreadful conditions soldiers lived in 20 years ago.
Estonian Defence Forces are part of society and people support us in doing our job well. We have also taken a number of real steps from the enthusiastic dream of ‘NATO interoperability’ or ‘Baltic cooperation’. We have common military command systems and an understanding of how to defend the entire region. Now we must hope there will be enough resources, will and time. I have always stressed that the Estonian Defence Forces are part of society and that people support us in doing our job well. This is a source of both moral and material support. When over 80 per cent of the Estonian people trust the Estonian Defence Forces, and businesses send their products to deployed soldiers and pay reservists full wages while they attend reservist training, I can only thank them for their support. On the other hand, it provides the strength to work harder and to justify the trust. The yearbook is part of the report on the activities of the Estonian Defence Forces to the people of Estonia. Bonne lecture! 5
