Maj. Karl-Erik Kirschbaum, the officer responsible for the exercise, said during the exercise, infantry groups and a pioneer group from the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion's D-infantry company alternately attacked a trench line and then took up defensive positions to repel the enemy's counterattack.

He said the activities took place around the clock and were complicated by challenging weather conditions.

Estonian and U.S. mortar units support the activities and the exercise also featured drone and anti-drone combat.

"The opportunity to work with the U.S. mortar platoon, which provided indirect fire support, provided an excellent challenge. The Allied fire control team provided valuable experience for the Kuperjanov fire control team, creating parallels with their procedures.," the major said.

Lt. Parth J. Doshi, commander of the 1st Battalion Mortar Platoon of the U.S. 187th Infantry Regiment, said they worked in close collaboration with the EDF to align tactics, communication channels, and safety procedures.

"We have also integrated our own observers into the Estonian infantry groups to create a common understanding of the fire ordering procedures," he said, adding this allows them to create common guidelines. "As a result of this exercise, we aim to develop a better understanding of the maneuver tactics of Estonian units and hope that they will understand how we can integrate into their operations," he said.

The Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion, part of the EDF's 2nd Infantry Brigade, is one of the defense forces' larger training units and is located in Taara Barracks in Võru, South Estonia.

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