Yesterday, Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet visited a field exercise in Southern Estonia, which is taking place within the large-scale Defence Forces exercise Siil 2022 (Hedgehog 2022).
“In the current difficult security situation, I am pleased to note that the large-scale exercise has been a success so far. Together with our allies, we have been able to practice cooperation on land and at sea. Joint exercises of this type give us full confidence that together we can stand up to the enemy,” said Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet.
“Reservists are the cornerstones of our Defence Forces. I would therefore like to thank all of the reservists, as well as the employers and family members of those reservists, who have been understanding and supportive of their employees and loved ones participating in the exercise,” Laanet added.
The Minister of Defence and the Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani also opened a stand dedicated to the construction of the border barrier at the Piusa cordon. “Border barriers were set up along the southern border, together with the Police and Border Guard Board, during the exercise Okas (Quill), at the same location where the current exercise is taking place,” the Minister of Defence said.
On Saturday, 21 May, the Minister of Defence also observed the landing exercise in Saaremaa, within the exercise DEFENDER-Europe, in which Marines from the United States participated together with the Saaremaa Defence League district.
Nearly 15,000 servicemen and military personnel from allied and partner countries are taking part in the Hedgehog 2022 training exercise. The main objective of the training exercise is to test the combat readiness and threat response capabilities of the Defence Forces in an international framework.
Photos from the exercise Siil 2022 https://pildid.mil.ee/index.php?/category/61227
Photos from the exercise DEFENDER-Europe https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaitseministeerium_mod_estonia/albums/72177720299175274
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