The consolidated law is set to incorporate the current Emergency Act, the State of Emergency Act and National Defense Act.

The Riigikogu's National Defense Committee discussed the new law at a meeting two weeks ago, with Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense Margit Gross saying the size of the wartime workforce coming from the private sector could be as high as 56,000 people.

Riigikogu National Defense Committee member Vladimir Arhipov (Center), that as the new law replaces the National Defense Act, the people who are now being called up are those reservists who have completed their military service since re-independence.

"At the same time, the force has been expanded to 100,000 people, who also received training during the Soviet era. But at the moment, we are talking about 56,000 who received their training in re-independent Estonia," Arhipov said.

Riigikogu Defense Committee member Leo Kunnas (EKRE) said those people are divided into 22 categories of different vital services.

"It starts with air navigation and data services, but the most important of these are, of course, food, fuel, electricity and basically everything related to money circulation, telephone services, healthcare, railways, ports and airports," said Kunnas. "Various ministries are responsible for these, but not only them. For example, cash circulation and payment services are the responsibility of Estonian banks, while local governments are responsible for district heating, local road maintenance, water supply and sewage," said Kunnas.

Kunnas added that these 22 services are very extensive and, in a sense, all of them are critical.

"We do not have compulsory military service for women, for example, and some men have not undergone military training for health or other reasons. A lot of people who do not have direct military training go there. And, of course, so do those who do have military training. In many positions, however, they have to have a choice regarding what they do – whether they participate in military defense or not," said Kunnas.

Arhipov added that people would be called up for military service and given specific deadlines to report by. "And they have to know where their assembly point is located; every reservist should know this, that's all there is to it. Then they will go to defend their homeland," said Arhipov.

The Riigikogu Defense Committee met on Tuesday to discuss the details of the law once again. Arhipov estimates that it will be ready by the end of spring at the latest, though it could be even sooner.

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