According to Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet, important decisions were taken at the NATO summit in Madrid to strengthen the defensive posture of the Alliance, with the UK playing a key leadership role.
“We are completely satisfied with what was decided in Madrid – in essence, the Estonian Government got everything that it had been asking for since the start of aggression by the Russian Federation. “Given the dramatically changed security situation, it is of critical importance that NATO be able to immediately protect every centimetre of NATO territory,” said Minister of Defence Laanet.
“Estonia thanks the UK for its leadership role in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank,’ said Laanet. “Decisions taken at the Madrid Summit will bring NATO’s collective defence into a new era. It is important that the Allies work together in implementing the decisions that were taken at the Summit.”
A divisional structure will be established for the defence of Estonia within the framework of NATO, the units and headquarters of which will be comprised of contributions from Estonia and other Allies. The command structure of the division is being established by Estonia with the support of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has also decided to deploy an additional brigade for the defence of Estonia, with the Force Integration Unit and some sub-units to be based in Estonia. Two British battalions will remain stationed in Estonia for the foreseeable future.
On Wednesday evening, Laanet met separately with the ministers of defence from the UK and Canada on the sidelines of the NATO summit to discuss the role of innovation in NATO’s strengthened defence posture. The ministers of defence emphasised their shared commitment to innovation. Minister of Defence Laanet also stressed the need to ensure that innovation is supported by a strengthened defence posture and militarily effective solutions, and was pleased that, in cooperation with the UK, the UK-led Battle Group has been able to serve as a test bed for various innovative solutions.
The ministers also discussed the NATO Innovation Accelerator DIANA, with the functions of its European headquarters being shared between Tallinn and London. Within the framework of the headquarters a NATO start-up accelerator will be established in Estonia, along with technology testing facilities. In addition, Estonia joined the NATO Innovation Fund, which aims to contribute to the development of defence technologies.
Laanet also participated with the Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in an informal working dinner of NATO defence ministers, and in a public discussion with the ministers of defence from Finland and the Netherlands.
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