The live-fire exercise at Tapa on Thursday was a qualification exam for the U.S. Dakota Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, which arrived here in the fall armed with Abrams M1A2 battle tanks.  

Unlike the forest and bogs of the Estonian countryside, the Estonian Defense Forces' (EDF) Central Training Area's combat firing range is the ideal terrain for armored forces.

"I think we've learned a lot of lessons. Looking at today's training, specifically, I would say what we still see is the importance of maneuver, and we still see the importance of our armed formations. And that's part of the training here so that we can employ those systems properly," said Gen. John Mountford, deputy commander of the 5th Corps.

The political significance of U.S. tanks is currently considered more important than their maneuverability. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. is reevaluating its military priorities. Attention is shifting from Europe and Africa to China. How this will play out for NATO's European allies in the future remains unclear.

"Yesterday (Wednesday – ed.), the U.S. Congress passed a resolution stating that without congressional approval, the number of American troops in Europe – throughout Europe – cannot fall below 76,000. This is a very strong message. Baltic security aid was also confirmed, which will amount to $175 million for the Baltic states next year," said Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform).

You can watch the broadcast (in Estonian and English) below.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!