Estonia launches year's largest military drill with thousands of NATO troops

Estonia has commenced Exercise Hedgehog 2025 (Siil 2025), its largest defence training operation of the year, mobilizing more than 16,000 troops from Estonia and its NATO allies across the country from May 5 to May 23.

The large-scale exercise is designed to strengthen national defence capabilities, improve command and control operations, and deepen interoperability between Estonian forces and international military partners, Caliber.Az reports via Estonian media.

Participants include active-duty personnel, conscripts, and reservists, with units representing over 10 nations: the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Portugal.

In addition, military observers and instructors from Japan, Israel, and Ukraine are taking part in the exercise, reflecting the event’s growing international relevance amid heightened security concerns across Europe.

A significant milestone in this year’s exercise is the full integration of the UK’s 4th Brigade into Estonia’s division command structure. The brigade, assigned to Estonia under NATO’s framework, is held at high readiness in the United Kingdom and is intended to reinforce Estonian defenses during times of crisis or conflict.

Hedgehog 2025 is being conducted as part of NATO’s Steadfast Deterrence 25, a multinational readiness initiative led by NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) based in the Netherlands.

Primary combat training operations are concentrated in northeastern Estonia at the Central Training Area and in southeastern Estonia at the Nursipalu training area, along with their surrounding regions. Meanwhile, in western, northern, and central Estonia, allied units will carry out support operations and secure rear-area zones as part of the broader divisional mission.

From May 5 to May 23, civilians across the country can expect to see significant military activity, including troop movements, armored vehicles, aircraft, and the use of pyrotechnics. Training will incorporate blank ammunition, flares, and simulation grenades, leading to heightened noise levels in certain areas.

On May 14, the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) and the Rescue Board will jointly test the national emergency alert system for the first time, including public warning sirens in over 20 settlements, potentially reaching 65 per cent of the population.

EDF officials have urged residents near training zones to keep noise-sensitive animals indoors and to communicate the nature of the exercises to children to avoid alarm.

By Vafa Guliyeva