During their visit, the NATO MNC NE representatives were briefed on the course of the exercise and Estonia's mobilization process, spokespeople for the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) said.

The three-member team came at the invitation of Deputy Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Maj. Gen. Indrek Sirel, and visited the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades as well as the mobilization depots.

"It is very important to be present during such an exercise," said Deputy Chief of Staff for Support at NATO MNC NE Brig. Gen. Dariusz Zuchowski said. "Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are within our area of responsibility, and the ability to reach any point in our area of responsibility with very short notice to identify possible need for support is very important to us. NATO staff elements located in each country also play an important role in this."

According to Zuchowski, this snap exercise provides an excellent overview of Estonia's mobilization process, which is carried out by the EDF but also includes other important parties, such as the Ministry of the Interior.

"During the exercise, we saw a very well organized mobilization process, but the most important is the dedication and readiness of the reservists," he added.

The snap exercise Okas 2019 is serving as a readiness inspection, in the course of which the national defense chain of command is tested — from the decision made by the Government of the Republic to the rendezvous of rapid response reservists.

Altogether more than 2,200 reservists have been summed for the current snap exercise, which will last through the end of the week.

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