Estonia’s defense ministry has announced the arrival of an American infantry company as part of NATO’s presence in the country
FILE PHOTO. US soldiers in Ida-Viru County (North-Eastern Estonia). © Sergei Stepanov/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A United States infantry company arrived in Estonia this week as part of NATO’s effort to boost its deterrence on the military alliance’s eastern border, the Baltic country’s defense ministry has revealed.
A statement published on the ministry’s website on Friday said that US service members are stationed at Taara base in the town of Voru. One of their primary tasks is to train Estonian military personnel and enhance the two armies’ interoperability.
Commenting on the US service members’ arrival, Colonel Mati Tikerpuu, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Defense Forces, said he expects to be able to “integrate our allies on a brigade level and gain an additional maneuver unit.”
Colonel Richard Ikena, US 1st Infantry Division Artillery Commander, said American troops are “excited to be in Estonia” and “look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder, alongside our Allies.”
The statement added that Washington is also expected to deploy a HIMARS platoon to Estonia along with associated command and control equipment and systems. Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said this would allow Estonian troops to “learn the ropes” of operating the multiple launch rocket systems before it receives its own HIMARS units by 2025.
The ministry said the arrival of US service members would be proof of Washington’s and Tallinn’s “shared values and interests” and would serve to illustrate the “excellent defense and security relations” between the two nations.
Military officials in Tallinn put the need for an increased NATO presence in the country down to the “deteriorating security environment” in Europe and to Russia’s “unprovoked aggression” in Ukraine.
Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly condemned the buildup of the alliance’s forces on its borders and the funneling of arms into Ukraine, saying this will only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome.
