Estonia opens military camp to accommodate NATO forces close to Russian border

The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) has handed control of the Reedo military camp over to the Estonian Defence Forces 2^ndInfantry Brigade following the opening of the facility.

The camp, located near Võru in south-eastern Estonia close to the country’s border with Russia, can permanently and temporarily accommodate units from Allied Forces or Estonian Defence Forces, according to the ECDI.

Built at a cost of €21 million, it will provide a designated area for allies in southern Estonia, with the aim of holding peacetime exercises and offering a base for crisis situations. It can accommodate up to 1,000 people across eight halls.

“Former allied units were accommodated in Taara barracks, where we provided them with a barracks and built one of Estonia’s largest container camps,” said Peeter Karja, the southern portfolio manager of ECDI.

“With the new barracks, they can stay near the training area during exercises and practice defending Estonia under good conditions,” Karja added.

Estonian minister of defence Hanno Pevkur said that the camp met a requirement for the country to “be ready to host allies on a much larger scale according to NATO's new defence plans”, while Colonel Mati Tikerpuu, commander of the 2^nd Infantry Brigade, noted that Allied and Estonian troops and units could focus on training during peacetime at the facility.

“They need supporting infrastructure – a dining hall, accommodation and maintenance facilities, and a place to store equipment,” Tikerpuu remarked.