Estonia Ministry of Defense

In peacetime the main tasks of EDF are to monitor and maintain control over airspace, to maintain combat readiness, to train conscripts and develop reserve units, to participate in NATO and UN-led international missions and to provide assistance to civilian authorities in case of national emergency. In crises the main tasks of EDF are to increase readiness levels of units as required, to prepare for transition to wartime structure and to begin partial or total mobilisation as ordered, to integrate units from other ministries and to prepare for assistance from and reception of friendly forces. In wartime the main tasks of EDF are to defend the territorial integrity of the state, to facilitate the arrival and deployment of forces from other countries and co-operate with them, to maintain control over national airspace and facilitate the air defence of strategic assets in co-operation with forces from other countries.

The national defence of Estonia is conducted on the principles of civilian control inherently bound with the democratic organisation of the state. Democratically elected and appointed executive institutions make decisions on the use of the Defence Forces and determine the respective objectives, allocate the necessary resources and monitor the attainment of the objectives. The implementation of the principles of civilian control is guaranteed by defence-related rights, obligations and responsibilities legislatively laid upon the Parliament, the President of the Republic and the Government of the Republic.

The highest leader of the national defence is the President of the Republic advised in national defence matters by the National Defence Council comprising of the Chairman of the Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Chief of the Defence Forces (the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces in wartime), the Defence Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chairman of the Parliamentary National Defence Committee.

The initial structure of the General Staff (in effect, the defense headquarters) was founded, not surprisingly on Soviet principles and procedures, and was not well-equipped to deal with a civilian-led MoD. Bureaucratic relations among these organizations and ministries were later to improve significantly. The important point being that initially it was difficult for the MoD and general staff to establish themselves as the principal actors in national defense. By the late 1990s, significant structural, procedural and organizational weaknesses plagued the MoD and general staff.

Although the ultimate goal of ensuring protection against an outside attack appeared remote, Estonia was hard at work building up a defense force in the mid-1990s, with plenty of outside help. The most dramatic step the country took was the appointment in May 1993 of Aleksander Einseln, a retired United States Army colonel and émigré Estonian, to command Estonia's fledgling armed forces. The decision drew strong objections from the United States Department of State, which feared upsetting Russia by allowing former United States military personnel to serve in high posts in the former Soviet Union. The United States threatened to revoke Einseln's military pension and even his citizenship. Support for the new Estonian general from several United States senators, however, helped ease the controversy.

In the Republic of Estonia, the Ministry of Defence and the Minister of Defence as its head are responsible for organising national defence. Structure-wise, the Ministry of Defence is divided into areas of responsibility of four Deputy Undersecretaries. Figuratively speaking, it can be said that the departments, subordinate to the Deputy Undersecretary for Defence Policy, are developing the vision of the future of Estonian national defence; the area of responsibility of the Deputy Undersecretary for Defence Planning will ‘translate’ the vision into the language of capabilities and budget. The departments that are subordinate to the Deputy Undersecretary for Defence Resources are involved in ensuring specific capabilities, while the administrative area of the Deputy Undersecretary for Legal and Administrative Matters will support all the processes, which take place within the Ministry. The Ministry shall co-ordinate its activities with the Defence Forces and other divisions and the sub-office concerned at the decision-making stage.

In general, the functions of the Ministry include making proposals for planning national defence politics, implementing the planned activities, and the organisation of national defence, which comprises the following:

• to determine the overall guidelines for national defence;
• to organise international co-operation in the sphere of national defence;
• to arrange the preparation and implementation of mobilisation;
• to implement the subsequent record management and training of reservists;
• to arrange and finance the activities of the Defence Forces and the Defence League;
• to develop the defence industry;
• to supervise the activities of the Defence Forces and the Defence League
• to draft subsequent legislation.

The Ministry’s area of responsibility includes the Defence Forces; the Defence Resources Agency, which organises recruitment and conscription issues; the Information Board; the educational institutions of the Defence Forces; the Estonian War Museum - General Laidoner Museum, which showcases military history; and Seli Health Centre, which provides rehabilitation services to military personnel. The authority of the Minister includes supervision over all the divisions and offices for the purposes of lawfulness and expedience.

The President of the Republic is the supreme commander of the national defence of Estonia. The Government of the Republic directs and co-ordinates the activities of national defence. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the organisation of military national defence in Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces and the Defence League, which is comprised of volunteers, implement the respective activities.