Posted: 14.03.2023 14:13:00

Estonia likely to double its army

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has sent for approval a bill which envisages an increase in the Defence Forces’ personnel from 26.7 thousand to 43.7 thousand soldiers in wartime, RIA Novosti reports

Photo: www.reuters.com

According to Ms. Pevkur, the current state defence development plan says that 26.7 thousand soldiers are involved during wartime. “It is proposed to increase this figure to 43,700,” she said.

The upper limit of the number of wartime personnel now includes the Defence Forces (about 6.4 thousand people), members of the Kaitseliit paramilitary organisation (at least 20 thousand people), and numerous reservists.

It is noted that military personnel are allowed to form only after the announcement of mobilisation. Accordingly, the upper limit of the number of personnel in wartime also means how many forces the commander of the Defence Forces will have at his disposal when declaring martial law, without waiting for further orders from the authorities.