Defence Minister visits snap exercise Okas and thanks participating reservists
Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Defence
9. December 2024
Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur visited snap exercise Okas 24-2 today and thanked the participating reservists, who are also contributing to the wider NATO readiness in our region within the framework of exercise Pikne.
"Snap exercises are essential for practising the entire chain of defence. I have a great deal of respect for all the reservists who were prepared to set aside their daily routines in order to practice coming to the defence of their country and, together with their comrades, quickly regain combat readiness. I would also like to thank the families and employers of our reservists for their support. The faster we react, the better trained and equipped we are, the more effectively we can repel any enemy attack," said Defence Minister Pevkur.
The Government decided to invite up to 250 reservists to participate in snap exercise Okas. At the proposal of the Commander of the Defence Forces, the reservists of the 1st Infantry Brigade Engineer Battalion and the Division's short-range anti-aircraft battery were invited to participate in this snap exercise.
The purpose of snap exercise Okas is to ensure combat readiness, which includes testing the functioning of the national defence chain of command, from the Government's decision-making procedure to the assembly of reservists in the rapid reaction force. In addition, reservists and active service personnel of both the Engineer Battalion of 1st Infantry Brigade and the Division's short-range air defence battery are now practising combat readiness according to their unit's combat readiness plan.
The units participating in this year's second snap exercise are also contributing to the multinational exercise Pikne, performing tasks together with our allies. During this exercise, led by the Estonian Division, units from Estonia and allied countries are practising the rapid deployment of additional troops to Estonia and the repulsion of military threats on land, in the air and at sea.
"Estonia's national defence is based on three pillars: the defence willingness of our people, our self-defence capability and NATO's collective defence. I am very pleased that this snap exercise is part of a large umbrella effort that protects NATO, clearly showing that collective defence works," said Defence Minister Pevkur.
This snap exercise is purely defensive and there is no immediate security threat to Estonia. The role of the Defence Forces is to ensure that our country is ready for all situations. The Defence Forces must be prepared to defend Estonia and must practice this in military exercises. This is the second snap exercise this year. The previous snap exercise was held in October.
Exercise Pikne takes place from 2 to 15 December and involves a total of about 2,000 military service personnel from Estonia and allied countries. The first week of the exercise focuses on the movement of units and their training in combat operations, while the second week is dedicated to combat shooting practice of allied units at the Sirgala range. For example, last week, during a rapid deployment exercise by allied forces, about 200 soldiers from 3rd Marine Airborne Regiment of the French Armed Forces arrived at Ämari by air, and from there they moved on to the countryside to integrate with the NATO Multinational Battle Group deployed permanently in Estonia.
Although the main activities of exercise Pikne are taking place on the Eastern Flank of NATO near Estonia's eastern border, the exercise is strictly defensive in nature, combining the air, land and sea operations of allied forces.
Exercise Pikne is part of NATO's Vigilance Activity called Brilliant Eagle, which focuses on allied mobility and interoperability capabilities in the Baltic Sea region.
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