According to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, Estonian citizens are required to take part in national defence on the bases and manner prescribed in the Defence Forces Service Act.

Every male Estonian citizen is required to serve in the Defence Forces - to perform his duty to serve in the Defence Forces.

Service in the Defence Forces is divided between active service and reserve service. The types of service are compulsory military service, contractual service and the participation of reservists in training exercises.

Defence Forces of Estonia
The Defence Forces are commanded during peace time under the principle of sole directorship of the Commander of the Defence Forces, who in accordance with the Defence Forces Organisation Act is subordinate to the Minister of Defence. The Commander of the Defence Forces is responsible for the readiness of the Defence Forces to complete assignments presented to the Defence Forces.

The Defence Forces are divided into services (Army, Air Force and Navy), to which are added four defence districts (north, north-east, west and south) together with headquarters and central subordinate units.

In addition, the National Defence League is also subordinate to the Commander of the Defence Forces. Duties set for the Defence Forces of Estonia are divided into peacetime duties and crisis or wartime duties.

The main duties of the Defence Forces during peacetime are:

• monitoring and control of airspace and territorial waters;
• ensuring continuous defence readiness;
• training of conscripts and preparation of reserve units;
• preparation of units and participation in international operations;
• aiding of civil authorities (in the event of natural disasters, catastrophes, and other similar events).

Structure of Estonian Defence Forces »

Army
The largest service of the Defence Forces of Estonia is comprised of a total of 12 units and a training centre. The largest training centres are the Tapa Combat Support Training Centre, and The Battle School of the Defence Forces in Võru. The main task of the training centres is the training of reserve units comprised of conscripts. Stationed in Paldiski are the 1st Infantry Brigade as well as the Scouts Battalion.

The task of the 1st Infantry Brigade is the training of units heading for foreign operations. The Scouts Battalion is comprised only of professional members of the Defence Forces. The task of the Battalion is to ensure the rapid reaction capability of the Defence Forces of Estonia.

Navy
The Navy is comprised of Naval Headquarters, a Naval Base and the MCM Squadron. Baltic Naval Squadron – BALTRON is subordinate to the Baltic Military Committee, i.e., the commanders of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Defence Forces, and the administrative power is held by the commanders of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian navies. Falling under the jurisdiction of the Naval Base are the Centre of Naval Education and Training and the diving group within the composition of the MCM Squadron. The Navy is responsible for protecting the territorial waters of the Republic of Estonia and its top priority is the development of mine countermeasures.

Air Force
The Air Force is comprised of Air Force Staff, the Air Force Base located at Ämari and the Air Surveillance Wing. The primary mission of the Air Base is providing Host Nation Support for Estonian and NATO aircraft. The primary mission of the Air Surveillance Wing is to control Estonia’s airspace.

Defence District Headquarters
The primary task of Defence District Headquarters is the operative planning and preparation of operational sub-unit activities for the defence district commander.