Pärnu set for major home guard exercise
Around 1,300 Estonian Defense League, the volunteer force, members, Defense Force soldiers and Latvian volunteers will take part in a three-day training exercise in Pärnu from today.
The exercise is appropriately named “Cyclone” as the west of the nation is expected to be hit on the weekend by an Estonian standards powerful storm.
“If previously we have organized cyclone exercises in less built-up areas, then this time we decided to bring the exercise into town environment,” Lieutenant Colonel Tõnu Miil, the head of the Defense League's Pärnu County branch, said.
“Considering what is currently going on in the world, it is very important that home guard members know how to act in urban areas and that people would be accustomed to it,” he added.
Participants will practice setting up road blocks, street patrols and urban warfare.
The bulk of the action will take place near the port and the airport. A few maneuvers will also take place south of Pärnu, closer to the Latvian border.
Editor: J.M. Laats