Maryland and Estonia Partnership Reinforced at Multinational Exercise
The Estonian National Epic, Kalevipoeg, is an epic poem that features, among other creatures, a hedgehog as a wise counselor. The character from the beloved poem has made the hedgehog a favored animal in Estonia. In the same tradition of seeking sound advice that was used by Kalevipoeg and the hedgehog, this past spring, soldiers of the Estonian Defence Force partnered with soldiers from around the world – working together and offering wise counsel during Exercise Hedgehog.
Exercise Hedgehog was a multinational training event with the mission of enhancing readiness and interoperability in the Baltic region. Held in Estonia, it promotes training on territorial defense in both conventional and asymmetrical warfare.
“Exercise Hedgehog focused on several different security aspects, from threats like terrorism to a full-scale conventional war,” explained Public Affairs Officer Lt. Sander Mändoja of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Defence Force. “The participation of NATO allies and partner nations deepened the already existing cooperation between Estonian Defence Forces and participating countries on a strategical level. From a tactical perspective, it gave a chance for the allied troops to get to know Estonian terrain and exchange knowledge with their Estonian colleagues.”
The exercise included participants from the United States – the Maryland, Michigan and Oregon Army National Guards – Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. It also garnered participants from the Estonian Defence League (a component of the Estonian Defence Force), the Women’s Home Defence League (a volunteer organization run under the Defence League), the Estonian police and border forces, and Estonian emergency management personnel. With more than 16,000 participants, the exercise marked Estonia’s largest military exercise since the restoration of its independence in 1991.
“It was a high-profile exercise for both NATO and U.S. Army Europe,” said CPT Andrew Self, commander of the headquarters detachment for the 629th Military Intelligence Battalion of the Maryland Army National Guard.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the State Partnership between the Maryland National Guard and Estonia. The partnership was one of the first three developed through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP). Participation in Exercise Hedgehog is just one example of the continued dedication of Maryland National Guard Soldiers to their Estonian partners.
“During the past 25 years, the Maryland National Guard has supported Estonian officers’ and NCOs’ training and education in the U.S., and has contributed to the Estonian Defence League’s development,” Lt. Mändoja said. “At the same time, Soldiers from Maryland have on several occasions taken part in the Estonian Defence Force’s annual exercise, Spring Storm, and has always shown a good spirit along with a high level of professionalism.”
During Exercise Hedgehog, MG John L. Gronski, U.S. Army Europe’s deputy commanding general for the Army National Guard, visited the training area to meet with Soldiers. When speaking with U.S. Soldiers, he emphasized the importance of the exercise and how the Soldiers’ role there contributes to the overall success of the National Guard’s training initiatives throughout the world.
“Through SPP, the Maryland National Guard and Estonian Defence Force strengthen our alliance and support all other NATO allies and partners as well,” MG Gronski said. “When the Maryland Guard comes [to Estonia], they also strengthen their own readiness, which helps them seamlessly deploy alongside Estonian [troops], contributing to the overall SPP mission.”
Maryland’s Army and Air National Guard made significant contributions to Exercise Hedgehog. Maryland Air Guard members supported the Estonian Defence League’s cyber defense unit by sharing techniques to build greater operational awareness around cyber defense capabilities. They also provided air base security support by sharing insight on protecting mission-critical resources. The Maryland Army National Guard’s 20th Special Forces Group and the 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion supported the Estonian Defence Force by providing information regarding operational planning, fighting techniques and disrupting enemy actions.
“The participation of Maryland National Guard members certainly contributed to the [level of] expertise brought by the respective staff the [Estonian] troops were attached to,” said Lt. Mändoja. “Besides being involved in staff work, they also assisted Estonian Defence Force instructors in the field and provided some very valuable advice to Estonian conscripts.”
The Maryland Army National Guard’s 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion was split into multiple elements, providing expertise to the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades of the Estonian Defence Force. During the exercise, the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades played opposing forces and performed operational tactics to simulate force-on-force combat scenarios.
“We were integrated with the Estonian Defence Force Brigade and we were performing mission intelligence tasks in a combined joint environment,” said SGT Evan Andrew of the 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion. “It was cool to be blended with different militaries – working alongside each other.”
The 12-day exercise was broken into four phases. The first phase was three days of combat readiness training. The second phase was another three days of collective interoperability training, which included mortar and anti-tank live fire exercises. This was followed by the third phase – four days of battle training where soldiers, playing the roles of OPFOR (opposing force) and BLUFOR (blue force), rehearsed action against mock enemy forces. The final phase included the exercise’s closing ceremonies. Participants were reported to be pleased with the overall structure and effectiveness of the exercise.
“I thought it went really well,” said CPT Self. “It was an excellent opportunity for my Soldiers to operate in a joint and allied environment overseas. It’s extremely valuable for them to be able to put their individual skills to use in an infantry brigade [environment], which is something that a lot of them had never done before.”
CPT Self served as Exercise Hedgehog’s liaison officer for participating U.S. Forces. He said the opportunity to work with a host of different countries in a single setting was an unmatched learning experience.
“It was great to work with NATO and allied partners in an environment like that,” noted CPT Self. “I was managing the communications between 256 U.S. participants – managing the communication between the Estonian Defence Forces, the U.S. Forces and the U.S. senior military office. I was the only American in the office. It was a great opportunity.”
Given the scale of the operation, there were many opportunities for things to go amiss during the training, but meticulous preparation on the part of the event’s organizers resulted in a smooth-running exercise that benefited all involved.
“When it all kicked off, it was very cool to see how well organized everything was with the other countries,” SGT Andrew recalled. “Everything meshed and the gears started turning. The exercise rolled pretty smoothly. I was impressed to see the efficiency on such a large scale.”
SGT Andrew went on to note that the opportunity to work alongside allies to gain new knowledge and unique perspectives was his highlight from the event.
“Everything was integrated very well,” he said. “Everyone there was very welcoming and accommodating. We all got along great with the participating countries. My favorite aspect was being able to participate and see the interoperability of the countries from a NATO perspective. I really enjoyed integrating, going over best practices and learning different perspectives on methodologies.”
The large, multinational environment of Exercise Hedgehog was a challenging setting that allowed Soldiers to gain a vast amount of experience in a short period of time. CPT Self said he appreciated the National Guard’s SPP for its ability to create longtime relationships that alleviate initial challenges.
“Working in an allied environment is always challenging because you have to establish trust and relationships first,” explained CPT Self. “I think one of the strengths of the National Guard’s SPP is we are able to establish, but more importantly, maintain these relationships [in advance of a major operation].”
Maryland’s partnership with Estonia has proven the benefit of the State Partnership Program (SPP) and has allowed for the continuous growth of a mutually beneficial relationship over the course of 25 years.
“We learned a lot from the Estonians – as much as they learned from us,” CPT Self commented. “It really is a give-and-take relationship. It’s not as if we talk down to them or vice versa. It is a peer relationship.”
That peer relationship continues to grow and, according to SGT Andrew and CPT Self, will continue to offer up new opportunities for partnership and bilateral learning.
“[The exercise] was a valuable opportunity for Maryland, specifically because Estonia is [our] partner and we’ve been working with them for a number of years,” said SGT Andrew. “It’s another method for leveraging the Maryland National Guard and Estonian Defence Force’s long and productive relationship. It was cool to be a part of that, and to continue to facilitate and foster a relationship with them while helping create those lasting bilateral relationships.”
“These relationships are built on mutual trust and experience working together,” CPT Self agreed. “A lot of U.S. Army units will rotate in and out of theater. They’ll meet their allied partners, establish a relationship, then the next group comes in. With the Guard, we are able to maintain those relationships for the long term. Many of our Soldiers are still in communication with their Estonian counterparts and some will go out next year and continue facilitating that relationship.”
Overall, Exercise Hedgehog was deemed a success, demonstrating to the Estonian government our Nation’s dedication to their safety and longevity as a nation.
“[The exercise] shows the will and commitment of our allies and partner nations to train together with us to defend our country,” Lt. Mändoja explained. “Estonian National Defence stands on two pillars: first, reserve army and volunteers from the Defence League as a base for our self-defense capability and secondly, our allies and partners who train together with us during peacetime and fight together with us should [we] fall under attack. Exercise Hedgehog proved that both of these pillars stand concrete and can be relied upon.”
CPT Self noted his satisfaction with the seamless collaboration between his Soldiers and their Estonian counterparts.
“I was really proud of how my Soldiers performed,” CPT Self said. “My Soldiers operated with great professionalism. They received commendations from everyone they worked with, so I’m very proud of the Soldiers from Maryland.
“We went [to Estonia] supporting not only the U.S. Army Reserve NATO training objectives, but also the State Partnership Program,” he continued. “[The SPP] is an incredibly valuable asset in the Army’s toolkit and I’m very proud of the role that Maryland plays as a part of that.”
By Staff Writer Tatyana White-Jenkins
