ESTONIAN RESERVE OFFICERS’ INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Lieutenant Commander Ingrid Mühling

ESTONIAN RESERVE OFFICERS’ INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Lieutenant Commander Ingrid Mühling Member of the Board, Estonian Reserve Officers’ Association

he international reserve officers’ movement is older and has longer traditions than many transnational military or economic unions. The Nordic Presidium, which unites the reserve officers of the Nordic countries, was founded in the late 1930s, and the international reserve officers’ organization CIOR (Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers) started its activities a year earlier than NATO, i.e. 1948.

Traditionally, reserve officers are an active part of the population, comprising people who are not indifferent to national defence issues and are unafraid to speak up in society. It is worth recalling that in the recent past, reserve officers in Estonia were advocates for a national defence model based on conscription, as well as for the broad-based defence approach.

The Estonian Reserve Officers’ Association has been an active member of CIOR since its early days. Currently, the 34-member CIOR brings together the reserve officers from NATO, partner countries, as well as more distant countries, such as Republic of South Africa.

Last year was a significant one for Estonia as a member of CIOR – Estonia co-chaired CIOR with the United Kingdom and it also acted as the main organizer of its collaborative events. The highlight of the year – the summer congress with a military combined event, an academic symposium, a youth reserve officers’ seminar, a civilian military cooperation exercise, and a language academy – brought over 500 reserve leaders from around the world to Estonia.

It should be noted that, apart from the support of the enterprises, the Estonian Defence Forces, and the Estonian Parliament, much of the organization was carried out by reserve officers at the expense of their own time and resources. The experience of being a cochair will be beneficial in 2022, when EROA will becoT

me the full and independent chair of the international reserve officers.

The cooperation events that have taken place throughout the year have made it possible to introduce our conscript and reserve service and EDF training exercises to the international community of reserve officers. There are fewer countries like Estonia where reserve officers actively contribute to national defence as a side-line to their daily work; countries where the reserve officer’s official and voluntary contributions are closely related are more common.

The international community of reserve officers is significantly different from that of active service members – uniformed volunteers include business people, public officials, and parliamentarians.

The international community of reserve officers is significantly different from that of active service members – uniformed volunteers include business people, public officials, and parliamentarians. The result of international cooperation and exchange of experience among reserve officers may not be immediately usable by the EDF, but it does fall within the field of broad-based defence approach, which produces understanding and support among opinion leaders.

At the beginning of the joint Presidency of the United Kingdom and Estonia, we decided that the main theme of the Presidency would be young reserve officers. Sustainability and growth of the reserve service are important from the perspective of a national defence model based on both conscription and professional army.

The congress held in Tallinn last summer dedicated its academic symposium to the generation of millennials and the opportunities to involve them in the national defence activities.

The most important aspect for reserve officers’ organizations is the development and pooling of reserve leaders. Countries whose defence model relies on conscript service have an advantage here, as reserve service is considered a natural part of life. At the same time, a person who is interested in the national defence and security in Estonia, especially a young person, has the opportunity to serve as a member of the Defence League, an assistant police officer, a teacher of national defence, or a member of the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organization. To be an active reserve officer means taking more responsibility than a regular reservist, readiness to lead and perform tasks that may not always provide adrenaline, but sometimes include rather static (staffing) challenges.

Until recently, modern technology and armament were one of the main attractions of the military field for young people, it is now being replaced with environmental awareness and orientation on people.

We need to take into account that each generation has its own values and motivators – while, until recently, modern technology and armament were one of the main attractions of the military field for young people, it is now being replaced with environmental awareness and orientation on people. However, the key to involving young reserve officers lies in meaningful national defence activities and discussion, as well as active involvement of reserve officers in the activities of the subunits of the EDF.

EROA is preparing for the CIOR Presidency in 2022 after Germany. The series of international events organized in Estonia during the summer showed that with the moral and material contribution of the volunteering reserve officers, we are able to organize very dignified and high-profile endeavours.

By the time of the Estonian Presidency in 2022, we have the ambition to take steps that essentially value reserve service and make it viable in NATO committees. In particular, the international Presidency allows the Estonian reserve service model and additional training exercises to be introduced to the community of reserve officers, and help to establish a network of friends and supporters important to Estonia.

Estonian Defence Forces

Issued by Strategic Communications Department, Headquarters of Estonian Defence Forces

Editors: lt-cmdr Ingrid Mühling, Kristopher Rikken, cpl Raiko Jäärats, Heiki Suurkask

Design and implementation: Ivo Sokka

Strategic Communication Centre, Cyber Command

Photos: Estonian Defence Forces, Ardi Hallismaa, Sigrid Paula Pukk, Mattias Allik, Karl Alfred Baumeister, Maria Tõkke, Rauno Volmar, Seidi Lamus-Tšistotin, Sander Mändoja, Karl Jakob Toplaan, Karl Heinrich Arras, Taavi Karotamm, Siim Verner Teder, Ingrid Mühling, Martin Hiir, scanpix.ee

Translation: Tiido ja Partnerid Keeleagentuur 0U, www.neontranslations.com

ISSN 2613-4934