Estonia is discussing the reform of conscription, including the training of soldiers based on the experience of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

According to Major General Andrus Merilo, Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, the service needs a thorough reform.

Therefore, he proposed to devote 2026 to the development of career military personnel of the Defense Forces in order to further improve the quality of conscription. He spoke about this in an interview with ERR.

According to Merilo, the Estonian Defense Forces currently recruit about 3,800 conscripts a year, but, according to the commander, in 2026, they could recruit significantly fewer – about 1,000 people.

This year was devoted to training instructors from among the career military to pass on the experience gained during the Russian-Ukrainian war to conscripts.

The Estonian Defense Forces are currently working on various concepts to improve conscription and the quality of training so that servicemen are much better prepared to perform their tasks.

“For example, we continue to emphasize physical training. We have come to see it as an integral part of combat readiness… but a change in the concept of conscription is necessary anyway. What we developed 20 years ago and have maintained until now with minor cosmetic changes based on the lessons of the Ukrainian war may no longer be as effective,” the commander said.

At the same time, Merilo noted that the changes will not lead to an extension of the service period in the army: “We are within the 12 months stipulated by law today. And a lot depends on the situation.”

Idea

The commander admitted that his concept of an “intermediate year” planned for 2026 is still just an idea that involves many steps.

He also noted that raising the level of instructors from among the career military is necessary in any case, as Estonia is now learning a lot from the experience gained on the battlefield between Ukraine and Russia.

“Perhaps, for reorganization, we need to raise the level of not only instructors, but also all career military personnel, so that they learn how to act in a modern combat situation, and perhaps look into the future and see what this battlefield should be like for us,” Merilo explained.

Estonia will also create a large reserve unit to patrol the border and counter hybrid threats from Russia and Belarus.