Prime Minister Ansip thanks reserve officers for their contribution to national defence

“Thank you for dedicating your free time to our country’s defence,” he said. “You are an example to many in your everyday work and your service to the state. You also set an example for those currently doing their military service, and those who will do it in future – you show them that national defence is much more than just eleven months’ obligation, but something that lasts a lifetime: patriotism.”

Prime Minister Ansip said that the fact so many Estonians are so disposed to defend their country is largely the result of what the reserve forces do.

“Every active reserve office unites civilian knowledge with military skills, and that represents a great deal of added value for the defence forces,” he said. “If we talk about major training exercises like the Spring Storm, they would not enjoy anywhere near the level of quality they have achieved without the involvement of the reserve forces. Officers among you have played a successful part in foreign missions, too, bolstering our defence capabilities and ally relations. An Estonian officer in the reserves is every bit as valuable as an officer in active service with the defence forces.”

In describing the current state of the defence forces in the country, Prime Minister Ansip said that there were signs of it coming of age, but that it had yet to achieve its full potential. “We have kept the promise we made to our NATO allies in raising spending on defence to 2% of GDP, but national defence in this country needs to be constantly reinforced and boosted, not merely kept up,” he said. “We have to remind ourselves, every day, that investing in national defence is not a luxury we can only afford when things are going well. Developing defence is a matter of urgency. If we fail to do so when times are bad, there may no longer be any good times at all.”

Prime Minister Ansip expressed his hope that serving in the reserves would become more transparent. “The way reserve officers learn and build their careers should be organised in a way that ensures that each of you has a clear understanding of what the state expects and requires of you and what your personal prospects are as officers,” he said.

The Estonian Reserve Officers Association was founded by graduates of volunteer reserve officer courses from the Meegomäe College of the Defence Forces in Võru County on 22 June 1997. The mission of the organisation is to contribute to the organisation of national defence, to boost the readiness of the population to defend their country and to provide Estonian reserve officers with a channel to communicate with one another.