Poland to send infantry unit to Estonia this spring

Photo: Reuters / Scanpix

Poland is to send a company-sized motorized infantry unit to Estonia this spring which will also take part in the annual Spring Storm exercise, spokesman for the Estonian defense force headquarters told BNS. The exact time and action program of the stay in Estonia will be decided soon.

«Poland is our most important ally in the Baltic Sea region and for us it is important that in addition to the United States other NATO member states also send their units to Estonia,» the spokesman added.

The German defense forces will send to Estonia a company-sized unit next year which will arrive next summer and remain here until November. The company will have Boxer IFVs among its equipment. Leaving aside the ambulance version of Boxer that was among the equipment of the Dutch unit that came here for training at the beginning of this year, it will be the first time for Boxer IVFs to be deployed in Estonia.

The United Kingdom will send to Estonia a company-sized land force unit whose arrival depends on the rotation of allied forces.

The United States is inviting allies to send their troops to the Baltic states in order to have an international battalion in each of the three countries, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland told BNS in January during a visit to Lithuania.

«I think we have this idea that currently in each of these countries we have a host country company that is ready to work, we have a U.S. company that's ready to work, so the question is can we get one more ally who will join us with the company who will regularly rotate, and how can we put those companies together so the net effect is a battalion of force at any given time,» Nuland said.

Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz confirmed to his Latvian counterpart Raimonds Bergmanis on Tuesday that Poland intends to send a company of soldiers to the Baltics.