Thanks to our membership in NATO and the European Union, the security of Estonia is better secured than ever before. NATO and the EU help ensure the stability of the international position of Estonia and its integration into the democratic space of values. NATO membership ensures credible military deterrence and collective defence for Estonia. Like other NATO allies, Estonia focuses on the development of mobile and sustainable armed forces and increasing participation in international peace operations.
The fundamentals of the security policy of NATO were supplemented and renewed in 2010, when the heads of state adopted a new strategic concept for the defence and security of NATO member states at the Lisbon Summit. The document provides an assessment of the overall security environment, addressing both conventional and emerging threats (ballistic missiles, cyber security, access to global goods and resources, and energy security).
The strategic goals of NATO and the necessary means to fulfil them for the next 10 years are also stipulated. The concept formulates three main tasks – collective defence, crisis management, and cooperative security – which help ensure the security of allies.
The international security environment has changed significantly in recent years. As a result, the concept of security has expanded and security issues have emerged in several new areas, such as terrorism, energy and cyber security, etc. Thus, the tasks necessary for ensuring security are changing for both NATO and Estonia.
NATO
The international security situation has changed significantly since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in 2014, which is why the NATO allies decided to increase their presence in the Baltic Sea region at the summit held in Warsaw on 8–9 July 2016. In order to ensure the security of the region and strengthen deterrence and collective defence, it was decided to deploy NATO battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
These are battalions formed by NATO allied countries, where the framework nation responsible for the battle group and other contributing nations help strengthen both deterrence and the independent defence capability of the country. The framework nation of the Estonian battle group is the United Kingdom, and the contributing nations are France and Denmark. The framework nation of the Latvian battle group is Canada, the framework nation of the Lithuanian battle group is Germany, and the framework nation of the Polish battle group is the US.
At the Warsaw summit, the Allies also decided to develop tailored forward presence in South-East Europe. Tailored forward presence includes more active multinational participation in exercises within the framework of the Headquarters Multinational Division South-East in Romania. NATO is also developing measures to increase its presence in the Black Sea region. At the meeting of NATO defence ministers held in October 2016, measures for the presence of NATO in the region were agreed upon, and several allies were ready to contribute troops and other capabilities on land, sea, and air.
At the meeting of defence ministers held in February 2017, an increased presence of the NATO navy in the Black Sea was agreed, which includes training, exercises, and increased situational awareness. Coordination functions of Standing NATO Maritime Groups to operate with other allied forces in the Black Sea region were also stipulated
Developing partnership relations with non-Alliance countries and other organisations has become a natural part of the activities of NATO, helping to promote and ensure security and stability outside the borders of the alliance. NATO partnerships cover, among other things, policy-making and defence capability enhancement, interoperability development, and crisis management. Bilateral programmes also help countries to develop their defence and security institutions and forces.
Partnerships also promote a broader approach to security, including issues of gender equality, corruption, arms control, and scientific cooperation, among others. Over the years, the NATO partnership cooperation has expanded both geographically and in terms of activities, including more and more countries, more flexible tools, and new forms of cooperation and consultations.
An important part of the security policy of Estonia is international security cooperation. As international security is indivisible, the most important element of security cooperation is participation in crisis management and peace support operations led by international organisations. This is our most important contribution to cooperation with NATO and other international organisations.
Estonia has been participating in international operations since 1995.
Estonia believes that to ensure peace and stability, military operations alone are not enough – they must be supported by civilian contributions and development aid.
NATO air policing is a peacetime mission which aims to preserve the security of the airspace of the alliance. As the development of an independent air policing capability would be very costly for Estonia, the security of the airspace here has been ensured by the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission since the Baltic states joined NATO. It is a part of the collective defence of NATO, which has been the cornerstone of the alliance since the organisation was created. Therefore, NATO air policing is important for Estonia for both practical and political reasons.
The airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is policed from the air base in Šiauliai in Lithuania and the Ämari air base in Estonia. The air base of the Estonian Air Force was established in Ämari in 1997, and the airfield and base were thoroughly renovated in 2004–2012. With the arrival of the allies in the spring of 2014, Ämari Air Base became the NATO Baltic Air Policing base, where allied fighters are deployed on four-month rotations. The Danish Air Force was the first to be deployed in Ämari. Ämari Air Base is among the most modern in Europe and offers very good service conditions. The Defence Forces are ready to serve allied aircraft and support crews in Ämari around the clock.
The constant deployment of air policing aircraft on the territory of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is extremely important for the Baltic states, which is why the costs associated with the mission will be reimbursed to the state performing the air policing to the extent of the agreed amount. In addition to financial support and infrastructure development, the support of the host country also means that allies can train and participate in exercises in the region while on an air policing mission.
Terrorism has been considered one of the main security threats of the allies since the strategic concept of NATO was adopted in 1999. For the first and so far the only time, NATO’s Article 5 was invoked in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, the fight against terrorism is reflected in almost all activities of NATO, such as training, information sharing, planning processes, capability development, strengthening resilience, partnership relations, operations, etc.
The mandate of NATO in the fight against terrorism is limited, because the main responsibility for ensuring their internal security and resilience rests with the countries themselves. NATO has provided added value primarily through awareness-raising, capability development, and partnership cooperation. The mandate and current tasks of NATO are defined by the political guidelines for the fight against terrorism, the military concept for the protection of troops, people, and property from terrorism, and the declaration of the Warsaw Summit.
Allies have contributed more and more to the management of threats from the south, including violent extremism, which has led to the desire to strengthen the role of NATO in the international fight against terrorism. In May 2017, as an expression of the common will of the allies, the heads of state and government of NATO approved an action plan for the fight against terrorism, which harmonises and expands the activities of NATO in the international fight against terrorism. It was also decided to make NATO as an organisation a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
Cyber defence is part of the core collective defence mission of NATO. Defining cyber defence as one of the core areas of activity of NATO at the Warsaw summit of the alliance in 2016 was a milestone event. Estonia actively participates in NATO’s cyber defence activities and in the preparation of a strategy for breakthrough technologies.
In addition, the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) is located in Tallinn. It is an independent international centre of excellence, think tank, and training institution accredited by NATO. Established in 2008, the centre has become an important source of knowledge in the field of cyber defence for both NATO and its member states. The centre brings together experts from 29 countries.
NATO pays more and more attention to the development of public diplomacy. The task of the Public Diplomacy Division of the NATO headquarters is media, scientific, and research activities and the dissemination of NATO-related information aimed at the public.
Through programmes and activities, the department helps allied governments and partner countries to promote the understanding of the role and policies of NATO among the wider public. NATO Associations operating in allied and several partner countries also help to introduce the activities of NATO to the public. There is a NATO association in Estonia as well.
In 1992, the system of the NATO Contact Point Embassies was developed. The system was supplemented in the framework of the 2011 review of the partnership policy. The purpose of a Contact Point Embassy is to cooperate more closely with the partner country in mediating and disseminating information about NATO. More specifically, each allied country undertakes to represent NATO in the field of public diplomacy in one or more partner countries through its embassy. During the two-year representation period, the goals and activities of NATO are regularly explained to the public of the partner country, academic interest groups, non-governmental organisations, and other interested parties by organising seminars, lectures, and visits. The alliance has information offices in Moscow and Kyiv and Contact Point Embassies in more than 40 partner countries.
Estonia has represented NATO through Contact Point Embassies since September 2004, when the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki began working as a NATO Contact Point Embassy in Finland. The embassy performed these tasks until February 2007. The Estonian Embassy in Stockholm was the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Sweden between 2007 and 2010. Estonian embassies performed the same tasks in Finland in 2011–2012, in Belarus in 2013–2014, in Kazakhstan in 2015–2016, and in Belarus in 2017–2018.
Energy security as a component of national security can also be considered an element of the collective security of the alliance. NATO has limited competence here, as ensuring energy security is primarily the responsibility of each country and the alliance can contribute to it only to a certain extent.
The added value offered includes assessments of energy security-related risks and developments, as well as energy security consultations with NATO partners and other international organisations. However, as energy is related to a large infrastructure, NATO is ready to protect it at the request of the allies and manage the corresponding crises (consequence management).
