Crisis reservists to be tasked with assisting PPA in border, internal incidents
A planned crisis reserve unit is already taking shape and will be made up of reservists tasked with assisting the civilian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) in dealing with scenarios involving internal unrest or migration pressures, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
A small number of personnel are already assigned to the unit and undergoing training, while its eventual numbers are estimated at a thousand.
The crisis reserve group would consist of Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) reservists, to be trained by the military police (Sõjaväepolitsei), and which would help bolster Estonia's readiness to counter potential internal and external threats.
Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said: "We all understand that security is as one."
"We have external threats, primarily from Russia, and we also have internal threats which need to be addressed. We are in the process of planning the resources in such a way that this force, which would be formed form a base reservists as needed, would be be sufficiently large to mitigate internal risks," the minister went on.
The unit in question already exists, but has just 50 reservists assigned to it.
The plan is to expand it around twenty-fold, to 1,000 members, in the next few years.
Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "This is a very good example of cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense, showing how we can use reservists in defense against potential hybrid threats and surges in migration."
"It sends a very concrete message to Russia, that soon we will have 1,000 men ready to guard the border, and a concrete message to the people of Estonia that the country will be safer and more defended," Läänemets went on.
PPA Director Veiko Kommusaar said that the authority will be responsible for the training, arming, and equipping of personnel once political agreement and required funding was forthcoming, while the EDF is expected to handle any mobilization plans.
"We will be able together to form a reserve which is capable of resolving mass disturbances on our streets, responding to migration crises at our borders, and providing additional defense for individuals if a situation escalates," Kommusaar said.
The crisis reserve unit as it currently stands has mustered at Tapa and will be heading to southeastern Estonia later in the week to take part in an exercise where the scenario is a large-scale migration surge at the border (see gallery above).
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' reporter Rene Kundla.
