Most U.S. troops previously stationed in Estonia have been withdrawn, although a new rotational contingent is expected to arrive later this summer, according to Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told ERR that NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa had informed him that the next U.S. unit is expected to arrive in Estonia this summer and remain until the end of the year.
However, the size of the new deployment remains unknown, and there is no information yet about the future U.S. military presence in Estonia beyond this year, Pevkur acknowledged.
“That will become clear once the Pentagon completes its six-month review of U.S. forces in Europe. However, the next rotational unit should arrive in Estonia this summer,” the minister said.
Pevkur added that, unfortunately, no announcements regarding the deployment of U.S. forces are expected at this week’s NATO summit in Ankara.
While as many as 700 U.S. troops had previously been stationed in Estonia, fewer than 100 remain in the country today.
For now, Estonia must rely on its own armed forces and NATO’s multinational battlegroups, which continue to rotate through the Baltic states. The NATO battlegroup led by the United Kingdom, including British and French troops, has been stationed in Estonia since 2017, ERR reported.
U.S. troop presence in Estonia shrinks sharply as minister explains the situation
