Bundeswehr Conducts Its First Exercise to Deploy Reinforcements to Estonia

The Bundeswehr is conducting the Brave Blue exercise in Estonia for the first time, during which it is practicing the strategic deployment of additional forces to the Baltic states in the event of a crisis or war.

This was reported by the Estonian broadcaster ERR. The exercise began on October 16 and will continue through October 27 in cooperation with the Estonian Defense Forces.

The Bundeswehr’s 4th Logistics Regiment is participating in the exercises. German troops are practicing the deployment of personnel and equipment to Estonia simultaneously by land, sea, and air.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Eberhardt, commander of the 4th Logistics Regiment, heavy equipment was transported by ferry, some vehicles traveled overland, and service members arrived by plane.

The Bundeswehr has not disclosed the number of troops and vehicles involved, nor the exact routes taken by the convoys.

During the exercises, German troops are setting up command posts and testing communications and logistics support systems. Separately, they are studying the terrain and the mobility of military equipment in the marshy terrain typical of Estonia.

The 4th Logistics Regiment’s main activities are taking place in the western part of the country. The Estonian Defense Forces have provided the German military with their bases to house personnel, while units conducted reconnaissance of the area outside these bases.

Brave Blue is an annual German exercise during which support for Bundeswehr units deployed in the Baltic states in crisis or wartime situations is practiced. Previously, such exercises were held in Lithuania and Latvia, and in 2026, Estonia hosted them for the first time.

During Brave Blue 26, participants are also practicing procedures for the entry of allied forces into Estonia, the operation of designated reception points, and the deployment and management of logistics areas.

The Estonian Defense Forces note that host-nation support must ensure the rapid movement of allied units to designated areas. This support includes transportation, accommodation, food, fuel, and other logistical services.

The current exercises are also intended to prepare German logisticians for larger-scale exercises planned for next year in Lithuania and Latvia.