Estonian Defence Forces

combined military forces of Estonia

Key facts

Founded: 12 November 1918 ; 107 years ago ( 1918-11-12 )
Current form: 3 September 1991 ; 34 years ago ( 1991-09-03 )
Service branches: Estonian Land Forces , Estonian Navy , Estonian Air Force
Headquarters: Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces , Tallinn
Website: https://mil.ee/en/
President: Alar Karis
Prime minister: Kristen Michal
Minister of defence: Hanno Pevkur
Commander of the defence forces: Lieutenant General Andrus Merilo
Deputy commander of defence forces: Brigadier General Viktor Kalnitski
Command sergeant major: CSM Andreas Rebane
Conscription

Article

The Estonian Defence Forces, EDF (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.

History