U.S. Army Europe
June 8, 2015
US, Estonia inspector generals share lessons learned, conduct joint session
By U.S. Army Europe Office of the Inspector General
WIESBADEN, Germany: There is a common saying in Estonia that the hedgehog should be adopted as that Baltic Nation’s national animal.
Like the proud Estonians and their country of only 1.3 million people, the hedgehog may be small, but it is also capable, cunning, and dangerous when cornered.
Small but extremely capable, cunning and lethal is how one might also describe the Estonian Defense Force.
…Estonia shares a border with Russia and remains ever weary of their much larger neighbor’s actions in the Ukraine.
Although its active military is dwarfed by other NATO militaries, one would not guess this by their commitment to the alliance.
After becoming a member of NATO in March 2004, Estonia quickly shouldered more than its share of military responsibilities.
They have had military policemen serving in Kosovo as part of KFOR since 1999.
Estonia committed forces to Multinational Force Iraq from 2003-2008, in the Sabah-al-Bori area of Baghdad. They deployed a company plus to Mazar-e-Sharif and then to the hotly-contested Helmand Province Afghanistan from 2003-2014.
The EDF has also been an active participant in multiple United Nations missions ranging from Mali to Lebanon.
Add to this NATO exercise support (such as Steadfast Javelin earlier this year), and it is easy to say that “small but capable” is an understatement when referring to the EDF.
The U.S. Army Europe Office of the Inspector General recently returned from a three-day engagement visit with the EDF’s inspector general, an organization that mirrors their U.S. counterpart in both mission and function.
The visit was part of an ongoing strategy by the USAREUR IG to engage with other NATO IGs, share experiences, find a common understanding of missions and functions, and then enable one another through the conduct of combined training and IG operations such as inspections and assistance.
The highlight of the visit was a combined IG visit to Tapa Training Area in north east Estonia where U.S. and EDF Soldiers are serving and training shoulder-to-shoulder to deter Russian aggression.
Estonian Col. Viljar Schiff, the EDF’s command IG and Col. David Carstens, USAREUR command IG, toured the training area, observed ongoing support operations and training preparations, and spoke with both U.S. and EDF Soldiers concerning living conditions, resources available, and other issues.
During an IG sensing session involving dozens of Soldiers, noncommissioned officers, and officers from the 173rd ABN, 16th Engineers, and 2-7 Infantry, the EDF IG ombudsman (or chief of assistance), Estonian Maj. Ilmar Kikkas, listened to Soldiers’ concerns and answered questions alongside his USAREUR counterpart, Lt. Col. Romeo Qureishi, USAREUR IG office.
“This was an excellent opportunity to listen first hand to concerns of the U.S. Soldiers serving in our country,” said Kikkas, who routinely conducts similar sensing sessions for EDF conscripts.
This was the first time that a combined sensing session was conducted by IGs from two different nations within the USAREUR theater of operation.
What became quickly apparent is that both the EDF and USAREUR IGs can gain much from combined training and even inspections.
The EDF IG is the eyes and ears for Estonia’s Chief of Defense, routinely inspecting training and readiness to determine capabilities and shortfalls.
“Our mission and functions are near identical,” Carstens said. “My intent is to capitalize on these similarities by finding specific IG opportunities where we can combine our resources and gain from each other’s perspectives … (such as) in the area of inspections.”
After the visit to Tapa Training Area, it was evident that U.S. Soldiers are more than happy with the support they are receiving from Estonia and the EDF.
“This is my third (Operation Atlantic Resolve) deployment and the support here is as good as it gets,” said one Soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
So too was the cooperation and support received by the USAREUR IG from their new friends and partners in the EDF IG office.
Both organizations are now committed to future opportunities to train and serve as IGs shoulder to shoulder.
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