As reported by ERR
In Estonia, from 2027 a single 12-month conscript service will be introduced, with a draft of up to 4,100 people per year.
Official sources have reported the plans. According to Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, the draft will take place twice a year to better plan training and take into account the recruits’ skills according to the needs of the Defence Forces.
The need for changes is tied to the growing scale and technical complexity of training, as well as the introduction of modern weapons systems. The current eight-month term of service and 11–12-month cycles used in some cases no longer provide the required level of training.
The new model envisions six months of intensive training and six months of combat duty as part of the routine. Such duty rotation is meant to maintain constant readiness to operate upgraded equipment and increase the operational readiness of conscripts.
Structure and Schedule of Service
The conscription cycle will be divided into two stages: six months of basic training, after which a six-month combat duty will follow. This division is intended to provide more effective training and the units’ operational readiness to use upgraded equipment.
Security Context and Future Steps
The changes are also related to the heightened security situation and the need to have a well-prepared reserve in case of wartime. At the beginning of December, Estonia began installing the first of 600 concrete bunkers along the southeast border with Russia as part of a Baltic three-country project to create the “Baltic Defence Line”. The changes to conscription are intended to increase the readiness of Estonia’s defence forces and provide a more flexible response to any threats.
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