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Estonian Defence Digest: December 1 – 15, 2002

2005-06-14 15:25:11TOWARDS NATO INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS Peacekeeping company approved for Kosovo The Estonian Parliament passed a decision permitting the despatch of a company-sized unit to the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) next February. The decision permits Estonian servicemen to take part in this mission over a 24-month period, with the maximum size of the unit set at 150 men, said Minister of Defence Sven Mikser. A 22-member military police unit is posted in the region at present. TOWARDS NATO US General Pace visits Estonia Estonia will continue to reform and modernise its Defence Forces in order to be a reliable and capable ally to NATO, Estonian Minister of Defence Sven Mikser told visiting General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Pace congratulated Estonia for its recent invitation to join NATO. "When Estonia finally becomes a member of NATO, we can say that any attack against Estonia is an attack against the United States," said Pace. Pace stressed that the contribution of all members was important in collective defence and that each member should have some special abilities to fight against modern dangers, especially against terrorism. NATO negotiators’ first plenary meeting in January Delegations from Estonia and NATO will hold their first plenary meeting to discuss political and defence issues regarding Estonia’s entry into the alliance early in January, said Jüri Luik, Estonia's chief negotiator. Eight officers assigned to NATO HQ in 2003 Starting in 2003, Estonia will have eight officers assigned to NATO headquarters. The five officers currently serving in the military mission to NATO will be joined by three more in the first half of next year. NATO HNS seminar held for officers Four Norwegian officers led a Host Nations Support (HNS) planning seminar at the Estonian Defence Forces’ headquarters on 10-11 December. Fifteen Estonian officers participated in the seminar that familiarized them with NATO’s HNS procedures in terms of military and civil issues. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Baltic defence ministers sign cooperation plan The defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania signed a cooperation plan for 2003 in Riga. The ministers expressed their satisfaction with the progress achieved concerning NATO and they confirmed their countries’ support for the fight against international terrorism and of their readiness to contribute to peacekeeping missions and to the development of a European security and defence identity. They also expressed continued support for increasing the role of the Baltic States in the leadership and management of the Baltic States military cooperation projects. Defence pact with Sweden approved The Estonian government endorsed an agreement on military cooperation with Sweden that regulates bilateral defence cooperation. The document prescribes cooperation in training and education, and in organisational issues related to the defence forces and high-level visits. The agreement also deals with the status of Estonian and Swedish troops in each country’s territory, medical service provision in each country, the jurisdiction and handling of disciplinary and criminal cases, and the settlement of damage claims. Carabinieri visit the Defence Forces A delegation of the Italian Carabinieri visited Estonia’s Defence Forces on December 4-6 to discuss further cooperation opportunities. The delegation, headed by Colonel Domenico Libertini, visited the Peace Operations Centre in Paldiski and met the Estonian military police platoon ESTPATROL-7, which is undergoing training for a mission in Kosovo. Libertini said that the visit had made a great impression on them, in particular the training standards of the ESTPATROL platoon. Estonian peacekeepers in Kosovo currently serve with the Italian Carabinieri regiment. Estonian to command BALTBAT Major Raivo Lumiste of Estonia will assume command of the Baltic peacekeeping battalion BALTBAT on 1 January 2003. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS Defence Ministry receives planning manual The defence planning working group, consisting of foreign advisers, experts from the Ministry of Defence, General Staff and the Ministry of Interior Affairs, presented Minister of Defence Sven Mikser with the Estonian Defence Planning Manual. “For the successful fulfilment of national defence tasks as a NATO ally and for the efficient utilization of resources allocated for that, we have to possess a concrete planning system and documentation which would be uniquely understandable by the Alliance’s member countries and would correspond to their operating management. Only a modern, integrated planning and activity system that we are going to utilize from now on can guarantee this” Mikser said.