"Military of Estonia" redirects here. Not to be confused with List of military units of Estonia. For the Estonian Army, see Estonian Land Forces.
This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it.(May 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Estonian Defence Forces
Eesti Kaitsevägi
Emblem of the Estonian Defence Forces
Flag of the Estonian Defence Forces
Founded
12 November 1918; 105 years ago (1918-11-12)
Current form
3 September 1991; 32 years ago (1991-09-03)
Service branches
Estonian Land Forces Estonian Navy Estonian Air Force
Headquarters
Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces, Tallinn
Website
mil.ee
Leadership
President
Alar Karis
Prime Minister
Kaja Kallas
Minister of Defence
Hanno Pevkur
Commander of the Defence Forces
Gen. Martin Herem
Command Sergeant Major
Enn Adoson[1]
Personnel
Military age
18
Conscription
8 or 11 months
Fit for military service
216,483 males, age 15–49, 260,408 females, age 15–49
Active personnel
7,700 (3,500 conscripts)
Reserve personnel
230,000 (38,800 in rapid response readiness, 80 000 have received training)[2]
Deployed personnel
141[3]
Expenditures
Budget
€1 billion (2023)[4][5]
Percent of GDP
2.85% (2023)[4][5]
Related articles
History
Estonian War of Independence
World War II
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Mali War
Operation Aspides
Ranks
Military ranks of Estonia
The Estonian Defence Forces (Estonian: Eesti Kaitsevägi) is the unified military force of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consists of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Estonian Defence League. The national defence policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state, the integrity of its land area, territorial waters, airspace and its constitutional order. Its main goals remain the development and maintenance of a credible capability to defend the nation's vital interests and development of the defence forces in a way that ensures their interoperability with the armed forces of NATO and European Union member states to participate in the full range of missions for these military alliances.[6]
^"Command Sergeant Major of the Estonian Defence Forces sergeant major Enn Adoson". Estonian Defence Forces.
^"Estonian Defence Forces". Estonian Defence Forces. December 1, 2023.
^IISS 2022, p. 101.
^ ab"2023. Aasta riigieelarve sõnumid | Eesti Vabariigi Valitsus". Archived from the original on 2023-01-14. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
^ ab"Kaitse-eelarve | Kaitseministeerium".
^"Estonian National Defence Policy". Archived from the original on March 15, 2008.
and 26 Related for: Estonian Defence Forces information
The EstonianDefence League (Estonian: Kaitseliit, 'Defence League') is a voluntary national defence organization of the Republic of Estonia, under management...
Estonian Land Forces (Estonian: Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense...
Defense Forces of Georgia Defence Force of Haiti Eritrean DefenceForcesEstonianDefenceForces Ethiopian National Defense Force Falkland Islands Defence Force...
Commander of the DefenceForces (Estonian: Kaitseväe juhataja) is the Chief of the EstonianDefenceForces and the national defence organisations. Kindral...
The Estonian Air Force (Estonian: Õhuvägi, [ˈɤhuvæki] ) is the aviation branch of the EstonianDefenceForces. The air force traces its history to 1918...
the EstonianDefenceForces. The Special Operations Task Group (Estonian: Erioperatsioonide grupp) is a special forces unit within the Estonian Special...
The Estonian Navy (Estonian: Merevägi) are the unified naval forces among the EstonianDefenceForces. With only six commissioned ships and displacement...
of the EstonianDefenceForces is the working body of the Commander of the EstonianDefenceForces and joint staff of the EstonianDefenceForces. Its main...
Martin Herem (born 17 December 1973) is an Estonian general and the current Commander of the EstonianDefenceForces since 2018. Herem entered into service...
equipment is received from the EstonianDefenceForces, through the institutions of the Estonian Ministry of Defence or as hand-me-downs from other countries...
Present Estonian system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used in the past in the EstonianDefenceForces. Some of the grades...
Military oath in the EstonianDefenceForces is taken by conscripts or professional soldiers in the end of their basic training (10 weeks). The oath is...
countries as the Band of the EstonianDefenceForces, is the official military band service of the EstonianDefenceForces. The main task of the band is...
Aspirant is a rank in the Argentinian Armed Forces, Belgian Air Component, Brazilian military, EstonianDefenceForces, French military, Italian Air Force, Polish...
This is a complete list of Estonian generals in the EstonianDefenceForces, past and present. The list includes senior officers who held the rank of general...
August 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009. (in Estonian)51 years from the Raua Street Battle at EstonianDefenceForces Home Page 784 AE. "Riigikogu avaldus kommunistliku...
developed by Andres Lüll on contract with the Logistics Center of the EstonianDefenceForces. The first set of test uniforms was introduced in 2005. ESTDCU...
Ukraine – reactions in Estonia". Estonian World. Retrieved 15 March 2023. "Compulsory military service". EstonianDefenceForces. 11 March 2014. Retrieved...
Parliament since 1 February 2020. He was the Commander of the EstonianDefenceForces from 2011 to 2018. He was promoted to general in 2017. He was elected...
The DefenceForces Cemetery of Tallinn (Estonian: Tallinna Kaitseväe kalmistu), sometimes called the Tallinn Military Cemetery (Estonian: Tallinna Sõjavae...
The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service (EFIS; Estonian: Välisluureamet, VLA) is the foreign intelligence service of Estonia. The Foreign Intelligence...
The Estonian Division is the main combat unit of the Estonian Land Forces. The division was established in December 2022 and commands the 1st and 2nd...
ee (in Estonian). EstonianDefenceForces. Retrieved 26 May 2021. "Sümboolika: Mereväe Auastmed". mil.ee (in Estonian). EstonianDefenceForces. Retrieved...
Global Information
Estonian Land Forces
Estonian Navy
Estonian Air Force