Exercise Pikne is a defensive exercise involving a total of approximately 3,000 soldiers both from Estonia and allied countries, and ran from September 18 to October 2.

It rehearses the rapid redeployment of allied units to Estonian territory and the deterrence of a potential adversary, via a multinational force.

Maneuvers took place on land at sea and in the air, on Saaremaa, in western and northern Estonia, and also in southeastern Estonia.

The exercise was led by the Estonian Division, joined by other Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and the Estonian Defense League (Kaitseliit) formations and allied units from France, the U.K, the U.S., Latvia, and Canada.

"Exercise Pikne, which we are organizing for the second year in a row, allows us to practice our units for wartime tasks with our allies," said Estonian Division commander Maj. Gen. Indrek Sirel, also commanding the exercise.

"Together with French units, we practiced how we can be quickly reinforced, if necessary, for example, by airlift. The presence of our allies increases our readiness and emphasizes the importance of cooperation in ensuring common security," he added via a press release.

The multinational Ex #Pikne concluded yesterday with live-fire drills, where reservists fired HIMARS and CAESAR systems. Involving reservists called up during Ex #Okas, the defensive exercise ran from 18 Sept to 2 Oct with about 3000 troops across land, air and sea. pic.twitter.com/HSSPn5w9rv

— Estonian Defence Forces | Eesti Kaitsevägi (@Kaitsevagi) October 3, 2025

Reservists from the Estonian Division's Artillery Regiment called up for the Okas 25-2 snap exercise also honed their live firing skills within the Pikne framework.

Week one focused on unit deployment and combat training, while live fire training conducted by Estonian and allied units at the Rutja and Nursipalu training areas took place in week two.

Live firing involved M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and French-made Camion Équipé d'un Système d'Artillerie (CAESAR) 155mm self-propelled guns in use, as well as French 120mm mortars.

September 25‑26 saw a French light infantry company rehearsing air insertion of a company‑sized unit to the Tagamõisa peninsula on Saaremaa.

Col. Marko Tomentšuk, Artillery Regiment commander, said this included first-time weapons firing at Nursipalu.

"Training is important, it is necessary for mastering any weapon system. The more complex the weapon system, the more practice is needed, and this must be done in realistic conditions, in all weather conditions, in the dark and in daylight, in winter and in summer. Without a team, even the most modern weapon is just a burden, not a tool," Tomentšuk said.

Reservist Sgt. Georg Kokk praised CAESAR for its ease of use, which meant that I was able to learn the system completely in just two days,"

"What stands out the most to me as a team leader is that everything has become more electronic, meaning that control and communication are handled via tablet computers, so it's not all so mechanical and physical," he went on.

The Defense League's West Territorial Defense Region, taking part in Orkaan September 18 to 28, trained in protecting critical locations and staffing checkpoints.

The changed security situation has led to a closer marrying up of the volunteer Defense League and EDF reservists, the latter former conscripts who remain on EDF rolls and are liable for reservist exercise service.

To make taking part in exercises easier, these "Ussisõdalased" ("snake warriors") as they are termed, turn to their local Defense League district (Malev), with many taking part in Orkaan/Pikne.

The primary objective was to increase the combat readiness of these territorial defense units and improve their preparedness for wartime tasks. The units generally hold a light infantry role, drawing on lessons learned from Russia's stalled invasion of Ukraine; the EDF's first and second brigades include heavy (ie. mechanized) infantry.

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