Estonia in NATO

25.04.2005

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
on the first meeting of the 26 NATO Foreign Ministers,
following a flag-raising ceremony on 2 April 2004.

Estonia’s Contribution to Global Peace and Security

The guiding principle of Estonian security and defence policy is to be an active provider of security. Participation in NATO-led and other crisis management and peace support operations (ESDP, UN; OSCE) remains a high priority. Estonia is determined to enhance its contribution to international peace operations. We will be able to deploy and sustain up to 250 personnel in international missions per year starting from 2008.

Estonia has supplied international crisis management expertise to international operations in the following areas:

• light infantry,
  
• military police,
  
• staff,
  
• medics,
  
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD),
  
• air movement control,
  
• military observation,
  
• transient maintenance/cargo handling.

• In KFOR (Kosovo Force), Estonia is participating in the Baltic-Danish rotation scheme and an Estonian company will assume positions again in February 2006.

• In Kosovo, an Estonian military police unit ESTPATROL- operates in the Italian-led Multinational Specialised Unit of KFOR in Pristina.

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia has previously participated in the in the Baltic Squadron within the Nordic-Polish Battle Group in SFOR and currently is participating in SFOR HQ. SFOR has been taken over from NATO by the EU and has been renamed as EUFOR (EU Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Estonia continues to contribute to EUFOR.

• In the war against terrorism, Estonia has contributed and continues to contribute to the US-lead Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

• Estonian Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team specialists have been engaged in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the area of Kabul since NATO began its mission in Afghanistan in March 2003. The operation ISAF in Afghanistan is a high Estonian priority. Accordingly, we will double our contribution to the mission in 2005. The current parliamentary mandate for deploying forces to Afghanistan expires in September 2006.

• In June 2003, upon the request of the Iraqi Interim Government, Estonia deployed a light infantry platoon ESTPLA to operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Replacement teams are sent to Iraq every 6 months. The Estonian Parliament extended the Estonian Defence Forces mission in Iraq until 31 December 2005, reserving the option of revising the deadline if the United Nations extends the coalition mandate.

• In helping the Iraqi Interim Government, Estonia has also sent machine guns and bullets, has offered to equip a computer class and has contributed 50 000 EUR to the Iraq Trust Fund.

EAPC – Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

Estonia has participated in the North-Atlantic Co-operation Council (NACC) since 1991. In 1997, a new Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) was established, building on and replacing the NACC. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council provides a basis for practical co-operation and consultation between NATO member countries and partner countries. Estonia has so far shared its experience in reforms with Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan and former Yugoslavia and continues to actively participate in the EAPC.

Partnership for Peace

The Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative was launched at the 1994 Brussels Summit and Estonia has participated in it since inception. This programme aims at enhancing peacekeeping capabilities and increasing the interoperability of the partner country’s military forces with those of NATO through joint planning, training and exercises.

Participation in PfP has a high importance to Estonia. As a member of NATO, Estonia values highly its own experience in the PfP programme and supports a strong relationship, and enhanced co-operation between Alliance and PfP Partner countries.

Baltic Co-operation Projects

The Baltic defence projects were created in the framework of the NATO PfP initiative, and their implementation is currently based on NATO standards and regulations. The establishment, maintenance and enhancement of these projects would have been very difficult without the comprehensive international support of a number of states.

BALTBAT and the Baltic States Land Forces co-operation
The first trilateral military project between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – the Baltic Battalion (BALTBAT) was established in 1994 with a purpose of increasing NATO interoperability as well as to contribute to the development of national defence forces and security. Furthermore, it provided the basis for participation in international peace support operations, including the Balkans.

Since BALTBAT’s initial goals were successfully reached, the emphasis of further Baltic States Land Forces co-operation is on the development of National Infantry Brigades. Further co-operation will be focused on establishing a system of common NATO compatible standards and on the training of national units.

BALTRON is an example of successful Baltic naval co-operation. The squadron was established in 1998 to enhance Baltic naval capabilities by activating a beneficial and cost effective common project.

Now, after Baltic membership in NATO, BALTRON will serve as a part of a training structure for NATO’s Mine Countermeasure (MCM) unit. The Baltic naval co-operation has provided a basis for one Estonian, Latvian or Lithuanian ship to be linked to the relevant NATO structure in the near future. The first direct linkage to Mine Countermeasure Force North (MCMFORNORTH) will be established in May 2005. An Estonian staff ship will be sent to MCMFORNORTH for about a year. Afterwards the contribution to the NATO unit will be rotated between the Baltic States.

BALTNET (established in 1998). BALTNET is a system for acquisition, co-ordination, distribution and display of air surveillance data within the three Baltic States with the Regional Airspace Surveillance Co-ordination Centre (RASCC) being based in Lithuania. Developing interoperability, BALTNET should help the Baltic States to integrate with NATO structures and facilitate economical use of resources.

BALTDEFCOL (Baltic Defence College, established in 1998), as its core function, educates the mid career officers of the defence forces of the Baltic States and other countries in Joint Command and General Staff Courses. The instruction and administration are conducted in English, according to NATO standards and procedures.

The College has since the very beginning been a very multinational institution. Students from 23 nations from Europe, North America and Asia are studying at BALTDEFCOL in the 2004/05 school year.

As of 2004, the Baltic States have taken over responsibility for the full budget and are committed to assume full responsibilities for the activities of the College. The new Commandant of the BALTDEFCOL is a Lithuanian officer, Brigadier-General Algis Vaičeliunas.

NATO Transformation

Active membership in NATO will always be Estonia’s main security and defence policy priority. The government approved the Estonian Defence Forces medium-term development plan for the years 2005-2010, where similarly to other NATO member countries the stress is on the creation of mobile and sustainable armed forces.

The Government Committee on NATO integration assigned the Ministry of Defence the medium term planning of national defence after the end of the MAP process.

The document "Annual Programme of National Defence: Plans and Priorities on NATO and European Union 2005" (the "Priorities 2005") is an interdepartmental document concerning the planning and review of national defence issues.

The main tasks for 2005 are as follows:

• to increase contribution to international military operations;

• to achieve full operational capability of the infantry battalion (Scouts battalion) by the end of 2005;

• to participate in NATO Response Force (NRF) with mine-countermeasures staff and support ship;

• to continue the integration of the national air surveillance system into NATO Integrated Extended Air Defence System (NATINEADS);

• to achieve full operational capability of the passive air surveillance system;

• to provide a much wider range of Host Nation Support responsibilities for the allies contributing to Air Policing over the Baltic States;

• to maintain two Mine-Counter Measures Vessels at required readiness for participation in NATO led operations;

• to continue the development of a Naval Diving Group;

• to continue the modernisation of Naval infrastructure, including the renovation of the Miinisadam (harbour);

• to develop procedures for participation in international crisis management;

• to further regulate legislation concerning information security.
  

Support for NATO has reached its highest level among Estonian citizens and the number of ethnic Estonians supporting the alliance is particularly high. The Polling Centre Faktum’s March 2005 survey showed that 74 per cent of all respondents supported joining NATO, compared to 72 per cent in October 2004 and 74 per cent in June 2004.

To the question, how has Estonia’s security situation changed after accession to NATO on 29 March 2004, 46 per cent of respondents answered that the security situation has improved. 41 per cent considered the situation unchanged and 3 per cent believed the situation had worsened.

64 per cent of all respondents saw NATO membership as one of the most important Estonian security guarantees, this was followed by EU membership 51 and 38 per cent of respondents found good relations with Russia to be one of the most important.

The majority of the Estonian population continued to support maintaining or increasing national defence expenditures:
- 32 per cent thought defence spending should be raised,
- 45 per cent would maintain it at the current level and
- 13 per cent would like to see defence funding cut back.

More information about Estonia and NATO:

Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the accession of the Republic of Estonia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Defence