Estonian Defence Forces

"Military of Estonia" redirects here. Not to be confused with List of military units of Estonia. For the Estonian Army, see Estonian Land Forces.
Estonian Defence Forces
Eesti Kaitsevägi
Emblem of the Estonian Defence Forces
Flag of the Estonian Defence Forces
Founded12 November 1918; 105 years ago (1918-11-12)
Current form3 September 1991; 33 years ago (1991-09-03)
Service branches Estonian Land Forces
 Estonian Navy
 Estonian Air Force
HeadquartersHeadquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces, Tallinn
Websitemil.ee
Leadership
PresidentAlar Karis
Prime MinisterKristen Michal
Minister of DefenceHanno Pevkur
Commander of the Defence ForcesMG Andrus Merilo
Command Sergeant MajorEnn Adoson[1]
Personnel
Military age18
Conscription8 or 11 months
Fit for
military service		216,483 males, age 15–49,
260,408 females, age 15–49
Active personnel7,700 (3,500 conscripts)
Reserve personnel230,000 (38,800 in rapid response readiness, 80 000 have received training)[2]
Deployed personnel141[3]
Expenditure
Budget€1.295 billion (2024)[4][5]
Percent of GDP3.43% (2024)[4][5]
Related articles
History
RanksMilitary ranks of Estonia

The Estonian Defence Forces (Estonian: Eesti Kaitsevägi) is the unified military force of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consists of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Estonian Defence League. The national defence policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state and maintain the integrity of its land area, territorial waters, airspace, and constitutional order. Its main goals remain the development and maintenance of a credible capability to defend the nation's vital interests and of the defence forces in a way that ensures their interoperability with the armed forces of NATO and European Union member states in order to participate in the full range of missions for these military alliances.[6]

  1. ^ "Command Sergeant Major of the Estonian Defence Forces sergeant major Enn Adoson". Estonian Defence Forces.
  2. ^ "Estonian Defence Forces". Estonian Defence Forces. December 1, 2023.
  3. ^ IISS 2022, p. 101.
  4. ^ a b "2023. Aasta riigieelarve sõnumid | Eesti Vabariigi Valitsus". Archived from the original on 2023-01-14. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  5. ^ a b "Kaitse-eelarve | Kaitseministeerium".
  6. ^ "Estonian National Defence Policy". Archived from the original on March 15, 2008.