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- The will to defend and the will to fight are two different things.
- Schools could share drone specialists among themselves.
- The family plays a definite role in cultivating the will to defend.
It's almost time to celebrate Victory Day again. How can we be sure that we will be able to win again, if necessary? The War of Independence was primarily a victory of will. At the beginning of the War of Independence, there was little equipment, but young men and men with World War experience had a lot of will. This also attracted men who had little will at the beginning. We are currently making efforts to have a lot of equipment, but what is more important is to ensure that the will is not weak, historian Martin Hallik (Isamaa) writes.
The will to defend and the will to fight are two different things. The first is the willingness to resist the enemy in general, the second is the actual willingness to participate in battle. The will to defend is assessed through surveys and can be measured. Today, approximately 62 percent of Estonian residents are ready to defend Estonia. 12 percent of Estonian residents are ready to participate in military defense activities*, meaning that, according to the survey, they have the will to fight. Measuring the will to fight is significantly more difficult. Often, a person does not even know what they will do in a situation where their life is in real danger. Few have actually experienced this. What influences the will to defend and how can it be greater?
The will to defend is affected by drastic events, such as the start of the war in Ukraine. The number of people joining the Kaitseliit (Defense League) volunteer corps increased dramatically, and a number of new units were created. Participation in exercises also became more frequent among veteran Kaitseliit members. The war in Ukraine continues, but it has become routine. It no longer increases the will to defend on an ongoing basis. Should it become apparent that we have to rely more and more on managing on our own, then this will probably increase the will to defend. The will to defend also depends on what a person has been through in their life. Among men, the will to defend is greatest in those aged 50 and older. They remember the occupation and this motivates them. This is the case even if their physique is no longer very sprightly.
The will to defend is affected by drastic events, such as the start of the war in Ukraine. The number of people joining the Kaitseliit (Defense League) volunteer corps increased dramatically, and a number of new units were created.
The importance of leadership and direction cannot be underestimated. If a group comes under attack, the loud command of the group commander will turn on the necessary buttons in each private's head and a meaningful fight will begin. The same applies to the will to defend. Work is being done to promote the will to defend, but it unfortunately does not stand out very strongly. It can certainly be improved, especially when you consider that in recent years there has largely been a stagnation in terms of important indicators. Let this be proven by the fact that over the past three years the number of people who are sympathetic to evading conscript service has remained at a steady 38 percent, or that the number of people who are ready for military defense activities has remained unchanged.
The understanding today is that drone training should be introduced in schools. This means that both technology and national defense teachers should familiarize themselves with this topic. In addition, it would be necessary to consider finding people familiar with drones among reserve military personnel and representatives of other walks of life who would initially help these teachers or teach courses themselves as elective subjects. Therefore, if up until now there has been a «Tagasi kooli» («Back to School») movement, within the framework of which school alumni go to the school for a while to teach some classes, then it would be time to create the initiative «Reservist kooli» («From Reserve to School»). Schools could cooperate in sharing a few such specialists among themselves. Local government associations should jointly find at least one suitable drone flying area per county that is adapted for training. Local government associations could successfully handle the coordination of such a matter.
Family and the location of a person's accumulated assets play a significant role in fostering the will to defend. The greatest material asset of most middle-class people is their home. Losing it, whether as a result of bombing or occupation, puts a person in a situation they do not want to be in under any circumstances, and they are willing to fight for the preservation of their greatest material asset. The state should be interested in ensuring that as many people as possible own their place of residence, so that they have something to fight for. No one fights to keep their rented apartment standing. A survey conducted last year** shows that the will to defend is correlated with income size. If the salary is the Estonian average or above, the will to defend is already quite good. People without an income are the most likely to flee.
The understanding today is that drone training should be introduced in schools. This means that both technology and national defense teachers should familiarize themselves with this topic.
Another important aspect that influences the will to defend is family. If there is a family, then there is something to fight for. At the same time, the number of one-person households in Estonia is growing, including among young people. In young families, the birth of the first child is being postponed to an increasingly later date. This is very bad for the will to defend and the ability to defend. First of all, we will soon have many fewer young people to call in for conscript service, and it will be much easier for a person on their own to make a decision in favor of fleeing. Therefore, family policy is an important cornerstone in shaping Estonia's will to defend.
The greater inclusion of women in the defense forces is another major issue, but when it comes to the will to defend, it would have a very large and positive impact on increasing men's will to defend. It would be worth addressing this issue for that reason alone. If a young woman has served in the defense forces, one can be sure that she will not start a family with a man whose first thought would be to flee in a critical situation and who would not be prepared to defend his family and people. In other words, the inclusion of women in the defense forces will increase the number of defenders of Estonia more than we can imagine.
As for men's lack of will to defend and possible escape from Estonia in the event of a war, it is known that 14-15 percent of men would try to do so. It would be good to know the rules under which men would be allowed to leave the country. These rules could be as follows: a man can leave Estonia in a war if he is missing an arm, a leg, or has some other clearly visible deficiency that makes him incapable of fighting. Or if his wife or daughter or sister or mother takes his place in defending Estonia. Then we’ll see how many men will choose to flee to a warm country.
The will to defend arises when you believe that you can win, you believe that you are led by leaders who know their stuff. The better the skills, the greater the self-belief and, accordingly, the will to defend one’s country and people.
*Public opinion on national defense. Kantar Emor. May 2025 report.
**Public opinion on national defense 2024. Eesti Uuringukeskus OÜ, 2024.