Over 16,000 Troops: Estonia Wraps Up 2025’s Biggest Military Drills

Estonia has successfully completed its largest military exercise of the year — Siil 2025 — with over 16,000 service members taking part.

According to the Estonian Defence Forces press service, the drills ran from May 5 to 23 and covered the entire country. The key maneuvers were held in the northeastern and southeastern regions, notably at the Central training area and near Nursipalu.

These extensive exercises showcased Estonia’s strong defense capabilities and readiness across the nation.

In total, over 16,000 service members from Estonia and 11 NATO countries participated in the exercise.

The units from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Portugal participated in the maneuvers. Observers and instructors came from Japan, Israel, and Ukraine.

The purpose of the exercises was to test the combat readiness of the Estonian Defence Forces, practice defensive operations, and integrate allied units into national structures. Special attention was given to the rapid deployment of troops, coordination between units, and assessing the readiness of reservists.

It is worth noting that the Siil 2025 exercises were conducted as part of the larger NATO drills STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2025 and served as preparation for the Estonian division’s participation in the Griffin Lightning 25 multinational maneuvers.

“The exercises confirmed the ability of reservists to effectively carry out combat missions and also demonstrated the reliability of our allies in ensuring the defense of Estonia and other NATO countries,” said Major General Andrus Merilo, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces.

It is worth noting that regular training is especially important for the Estonian Defence Forces due to their leading role within the Baltic Corps, which is tasked with defending NATO’s northeastern flank against potential attacks from Russia.

In addition, Estonia is the third and more independent part of NATO’s Multinational Corps Northeast, as it reports directly to the corps headquarters and has its own division made up of two brigades, one of which is part of NATO’s Estonia Battlegroup.

Militarnyi previously reported that Ukrainian drone operator instructors had been involved in the Estonian Siil 2025 exercises.

The Ukrainian instructors brought a variety of equipment to Estonia, including FPV drones with night vision, reconnaissance drones, signal boosters, as well as an experimental drone with a 2.5 kg combat payload and a range of up to 65 km.