Estonian, British defense ministers: Cooperation steadfast and unshakeable
The United Kingdom's continued defensive cooperation with and presence in Estonia is unwavering, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said.
"The U.K. has been our steadfast partner, and their continuous presence in Estonia is a clear testament to our allies' commitment to our shared security. Having first come to our aid during the Estonian War of Independence more than 100 years ago, the U.K. now serves as the framework nation for the allied brigade assigned to the defense of Estonia, safeguarding our country and the wider region on a daily basis. British soldiers train here side by side with Estonian servicemen and are currently taking part in the major exercise Kevadtorm," Pevkur said.
"We also highly value the U.K.'s joint leadership with France in heading the Coalition of the Willing and together with Germany in steering the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. These are clear proof of the allies' determined action to provide Ukraine with exactly the assistance and support it most needs to defend its freedom," Pevkur went on, via a press release.
Pevkur made his remarks on Thursday, when he met with the U.K. Secretary of State for Defense John Healey in Tallinn. The pair discussed long-term bilateral defense cooperation and its strategic expansion.
"The U.K.'s commitment to Estonia is unshakeable. I am proud of how our British and Estonian forces are working together to defend every inch of NATO territory. We are exercising together to deter Russian aggression and keep Estonia and the alliance secure," Minister Healey said.
While in Estonia, Healey also visited British service personnel taking part in the ongoing Exercise Spring Storm.
The U.K. has been the lead nation of the NATO Battlegroup based at Tapa for nearly a decade now. The battlegroup now operates within the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Division, and forms the core of the allied forward presence.
The U.K. is also the framework nation for the Forward Land Forces brigade (4th Brigade) dedicated to reinforcing Estonia. Under normal circumstances, 4th Brigade is permanently on high readiness and prepared to deploy rapidly from the U.K. in times of crisis.
The reinforcement brigade's participation in Spring Storm also, the defense ministry says, serves to validate rapid deployment capabilities, testing both sending and host nation procedures, as well as integrating the additional brigade into the division's tactical maneuvers.
Last year, 3,000 British troops from 4th Brigade were similarly deployed to Estonia for another large-scale exercise, Siil (Hedgehog).
Estonia and the U.K. also have close cooperation within the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) framework, a maritime-focused rapid and flexible crisis response, which covers strengthening security across the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic regions. As well as the U.K. and Estonia, the JEF's member states are: Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and the Netherlands.
The U.K. and its Royal Air Force (RAF) have several times contributed to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission based at Ämari. British forces remain frequent participants in other military exercises hosted by Estonia and neighboring allied countries, too.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
