450 allied troops to take part in this year's Spring Storm exercise

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu / Postimees

In addition to Estonian troops, around 350 land force personnel from Belgium, Britain, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as about 100 Polish airmen will take part in this year's edition of Spring Storm, the largest annual exercise of the Estonian defense forces.

The commanding officer of the exercise, Army chief Col. Artur Tiganik, told reporters on Wednesday that participating will be one infantry company from the United Kingdom and Latvia each, a reconnaissance platoon from Lithuania, an anti-aircraft missile platoon from Belgium, and Sukhoi Su-22 attack aircraft from Poland. Latvian units have taken part in Spring Storm for five years and Lithuanian military will be present for the second time.

The British company is part of a regiment that has previously served together with Estonian units in Afghanistan and it would like to continue cooperation with the Estonian defense forces, Tiganik said. Belgium has sent observers in previous years.

Spring Storm 2013 will be held mainly in Harju County, including Tallinn, and partially also in West-Viru and Jarva County from May 9 to 25. Harju County hosts the training for the first time.

Although the exercise starts with battalion formation only on Thursday signallers have been out in the field for a couple of days already, Tiganik observed.

Maj. Lauri Abel, chief of the Tallinn unit of the volunteer corps Kaitseliit (Defense League), said that more than 500 members of the unit will be participating in the exercise. For Kaitseliit members the exercise begins on May 14, he added.

For the first time ever also the Navy will take part in Spring Storm.

Most of the exercise will be conducted in the territory of the defense forces' central training ground on the border of Harju and West-Viru counties. On May 21-23 the participating units will move from the central training ground into the territory of the Anija rural municipality via the municipalities of Tapa, Albu and Aegviidu. The active phase of the exercise will end with a counter-attack in the region between the Soodla reservoir and the Tallinn-Narva road in the Kuusalu municipality on May 24.

Additionally, separate operations have been planned in the Joelahtme rural municipality's Kaberneeme and Jagala areas, at Loksa, and the Song Festival Ground, TV Tower and Iru Bridge areas of Tallinn for May 19-23.

Counter-action will be performed primarily by the Scouts Battalion, to which the British and Latvian infantry companies as well as the Lithuanian reconnaissance platoon will be subordinated.

A line-up at the Kuusalu stadium on May 25 will mark the end of the 11th Spring Storm.

The annual exercise is held in a different region of Estonia each year. The first exercise in 2003 was held in West-Viru County and last year's exercise took place in the East-Viru and West-Viru counties.