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Estonia - Military Personnel

Estonia has by far the smallest population base to recruit from of any country in Central and Eastern Europe. Compound this with the fact that one third of the population is of Russian origin. some of whom may still hold ties to their former homeland and, in essence, Estonia has an even smaller loyal population base to draw upon for its military.

Estonia's national defense plan approved in 2013 called for total primary response forces and reserves to reach 90,000 by 2022, with the home guard also to double. But mobilization is still a neglected aspect of the reserve system. Furthermore, Defense Forces stockpiles of materiel are not decentralized as they are in Scandinavia, but often in the same central locations that existed back in Soviet times and would be known to an enemy.

Under the Estonian Long Term Defence Development Plan 2009–2018, approved by the Government of the Republic of Estonia on 22 January 2009, during the next decade the number of professional servicemen and –women will increase from 3000 to about 4000. The increase in the number of regular members of the EDF is necessary for the development of new military capabilities, but also for more qualitative training of the reserves and manning of professional units. According to the Plan 2018, the number of officers being trained in the Estonian National Defence College and the number of non-commissioned officers being trained in the Estonian Defence Forces Võru Battle School will increase. This will be an ambitious task, requiring focused and successful recruiting and retention of personnel.

During the planning period, the annual number of conscripts called up for compulsory military service (currently approximately 2500) will remain at the same level or slightly increase. Conscription will remain the main resource for manning of reserve units and form a recruiting base for regulars of the Defence Forces. The deteriorating demographic situation in Estonia will influence the number of conscripts called up annually, leading to a decrease in the number of young men fit for compulsory military service. Greater emphasis must thus be placed on the quality of training during conscription.

While the Plan 2018 was drafted, a joint working group of the Ministry of Defence and the EDF analysed the possibility to replace the existing 8 and 11 month long conscription with the so-called “6-9-12 model”, as used in Finland. In such a system, the conscripts belonging to ranks of private would serve for six months, specialists for nine months and conscript junior non-commissioned offi cers and reserve platoon commanders for 12 months. Even though this system would reduce the time of conscript training, and would use the infrastructure of the defence forces more intensively, it would also require a larger number of instructors. This is not achievable in the short-term and therefore cannot be implemented before 2014. The issue was to be further addressed in 2012.

The number of the EDF personnel available for crisis management, including reservists, will increase during the planning period from today’s 16,000 to 25,000, with additional the units of the Defence League. In 2018, the EDF will consist of centrally subordinated units, a mechanised infantry brigade in the Army with all its support units, reserve units formed in Defence Districts and the units of the Defence League. The war time structures of the Navy and Air Force will remain similar to their peace time structure.

In 1990 Estonia had been the first Soviet republic to defy the Soviet army by offering alternative service to Estonian residents scheduled to be drafted. Most Estonians, however, simply began avoiding the draft. After independence, Estonia instituted its own compulsory military service, with a minimum term of one year beginning at age eighteen. About 12,000 males reach the age of eighteen every year. Young Estonian men continue to spurn the call, however; only one-third of eligible draftees turned out for the spring 1993 conscription. In addition, the Estonian military faces a limited pool from which to choose because only citizens can be drafted and because restrictions have been placed on the induction of university students.

Due to mandatory conscription, the EDF lacks a consistently high quality of non-commissioned officers (NCO). NCOs who wish to become professional soldiers generally join the officer corps in lieu of remaining on duty as a low-paid NCO. Additionally, the EDF lacks training and performance standards for its NCOs. While progress has been made with the career officers and NCOs in the Scout Battalion, there is unfortunately no political will to fully professionalize the army.

The purpose of compulsory military service is the training of necessary reserve units for the defence of Estonia and the creation of the prerequisite required for entry into professional military service. Acquired during the course of compulsory military service are the primary principles of national defence and learning to operate as a single team.

Estonian citizens, who are between the ages of 18-27 and have been deemed fit to serve in active service by a medical committee, are called-up for compulsory military service. Called-up for compulsory military service are young men with at least a basic education. The Defence Resources Agency organises the call-up for compulsory military service. With an advance call-up, conscripts are called into service for positions which require 11 months of service (specialists, non-commissioned officers and reserve platoon commanders). On the basis of a general call-up, the rank and file of a unit are trained over the course of eight months. Even so, those conscripts who were part of the general call-up have the opportunity to take part in junior non-commissioned officer and reserve platoon commander courses.

The duration of compulsory military service is frequently determined depending on the vocation of the person eligible to be drafted for contractual service. Those who arrive in the service in January and June, as a rule, serve 11 months, while those who arrive in April and October serve 8 months. The final duration of service is determined by the position which the soldier is assigned. A member of the Defence Forces is assigned a position after having completed soldier’s (seamen’s) basic training. A conscript is appointed to a position and freed from that position by a directive in the interests of the service.

During the course of compulsory military service, a number of skills required for civilian life are acquired – first aid courses, topography, communication and information technology, environmental and civil protection, planning of time and the maintaining of order and cleanliness. Junior non-commissioned officers or reserve platoon commanders receive valuable management experience. Those having completed paramedic courses during the course of compulsory military service will later be able to work as paramedics; those having completed motor vehicle driver courses will receive CE or DE category driving licenses.

Completing compulsory military service gives one the opportunity to apply to the Estonian National Defence College, the graduates of which enter service in the Defence Forces as officers. There is also the opportunity to enter into service as a professional member of the Defence Forces in the Scouts Battalion or in some other military unit. At the end of compulsory military service, the requirement of the performance of national defence duties as a reservist in a unit, the Defence Forces or professional member of the Defence Forces continues.

Active service means service in the Defence Forces and this is divided into active service and service in the Defence Forces reserves. Active service is comprised of mandatory compulsory military service and contractual active service. Professional military personnel serve in the Defence Forces operational, training and administrative structural units, and as soldiers, specialists, instructors, commanders and in other positions in the Defence Forces. The profession of a member of the Defence Forces is like any other specialty which can be acquired in vocational school and studying for Bachelors and Master’s degrees in institutions of professional higher education. In order to serve in a position of military rank, you must complete compulsory military service, during the course of which you will receive theoretical as well as practical foundations in national defence. During the course of compulsory military service it is possible to earn the rank of soldier or junior non-commissioned officer. The Battle School of the Defence Forces in Võru is a vocational school within the concept of civil education, where after the acquisition of a secondary education and the completion of compulsory military service it is possible to study to be a senior non-commissioned officer. Studies last for 44 weeks. During future service it is possible to supplement one's knowledge and skills with Senior Master Sergeant and Staff Sergeant courses. It is possible to study to be an officer at the Estonian National Defence College (ENDC) located in Tartu. Here it is possible to acquire a professional higher education in military leadership as well as a Master’s degree in social sciences. The study period in the ENDC in the area of ground forces lasts for three years and it is possible to specialise in the following areas: infantry, logistics, communications, engineering, air defence, and artillery.