Today, on December 5 the defence planning working group consisting of foreign advisers, experts from the Ministry of Defence, General Staff and the Ministry of Interior Affairs handed over to the Minister of Defence Sven Mikser the Estonian Planning Manual. The contemporary approach and proceedings described in the manual will create new basis for the regulation of Estonia’s strategic planning of national defence as NATO ally and will help to transform the operational level of the Estonian Defence Forces more effective.
During the handing-over ceremony Mikser stressed that the Manual had to become a relevant part of the national defence, especially during the post-Prague period when both, the Estonian Ministry of Defence as well as the General Staff were involved with NATO accession talks.
“For the successful fulfilment of the national defence tasks as 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 membership countries and would correspond to their operating management. Only a modern, integrated planning- and activity system which we are going to utilize from now on can guarantee this” Mikser said.
Starting from the spring of 2001 a group of officials from different institutions involved with national defence issues, several foreign advisers delegated by the US Government among them, have been working on the Manual which would reflect different aspects inherent in national defence, such as national security, national defence institutions, national history, geography and strivings.
According to the expertise the new planning system is not only efficient, but will also make the civil- and military planning work easier and less time consuming. The Estonian Planning Manual is based on relevant NATO standards which enables to set the planning of the Estonian Defence Forces on the same standard with that of the NATO membership countries.