Estonian Defense ForcesGovernment

The Estonian Defense Forces (Eesti Kaitsevägi) is the unified military organization of the Republic of Estonia, comprising the Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, and the volunteer Estonian Defense League. Operating as a reserve-based military force backed by mandatory selective conscription, its mandate is to ensure national sovereignty, protect territorial integrity, and contribute to collective defense within NATO and international operations. First formed in November 1918 following the Estonian Declaration of Independence to fight the Estonian War of Independence, the military was disbanded after the Soviet occupation in 1940 and officially re-established on September 3, 1991, upon the restoration of Estonian independence.