Estonia to Hold Largest Ever Military Exercise Next Year
The state is planning to call up 7,000 reserve soldiers for a two-week exercise in May 2015, in what will be the largest military maneuvers the nation has seen.
Operation Hedgehog, as is the official name, will aim to test and refresh reserve soldiers' skills, and also test the assembling of Defense Force and Defense League units, Maaleht reported today.
The exercise will be held in the northeast of the country and will see a total of 12,000 soldiers participate.
Estonia has around 60,000 men and women who have completed basic training as conscripts and who are counted as a reserve force. Those 7,000 who will take part in next year's maneuvers will receive a official letter at least 120 days before.
This year's big spring exercise, titled Kevadtorm (Spring Storm) as it has been in previous years, is billed as a preparation for next year's Operation Hedgehog. Kevadtorm, which runs from May 5-23, involves 6,000 troops.