Kaitseliit

Estonian Defense Federation Eesti Kaitseliit
Coat of arms of the Kaitseliit
Lineup	1918-1940 17th February 1990
Country	Estonia
Armed forces	Estonian Armed Forces ( Estonian Eesti Kaitsejõud)
Branch of service	Paramilitary
Type	Armed forces ( national guard )
structure	15 battalions in the counties
Strength	21,551 volunteers
management
Commander in chief	President of the Republic of Estonia
military commander	Brigaadikindral Riho Ühtegi
Chief of Staff	Colonel Eero Rebo
Important commanders	Johan Pitka
insignia
Flag of the Kaitseliit
Flag of the Tallinn Department

The Kaitseliit ( German  Defense Association ) is the military volunteer association of the Estonian armed forces and consists of trained and armed civilians who can be quickly mobilized in the event of war or for paramilitary relief tasks .

history

Milestones

Petseri Kaitseliit Parade around 1930

1917 - The Kaitseliit was preceded by a vigilante group that opposed the decline in public order and the chaos caused by the Russian Revolution .

1918 - On November 11th, this vigilante group was replaced by the Kaitseliit , who fought as the National Guard in the Estonian War of Independence .

1924 - After the communist coup d'état on December 1st , the Kaitseliit was reorganized. In October 1925 the first issue of the magazine Kaitse Kodu! published.

1926 - From June 19-20, the first Kaitseliit Festival was held in Tallinn. Six more were held by 1940.

1927 - In order to give the Kaitseliit a family dimension, the Commander of Defense League approved the temporary statutes of the Naiskodukaitse and thus formed the first subsidiary organization.

1928 - The Council of Elders, a body within the Kaitseliit , decided to send the youth organization Noored Kotkad an invitation to cooperate and to incorporate it as a subsidiary organization.

1931 - The Government of the Republic adopted the Kaitseliit Statute , which is still in force today.

Badge of the Kaitseliit

1932 - The youth organization Kodutütred was founded by the Naiskodukaitse .

1934 - Kaitseliit House Rules were established to regulate life and work in the organization.

1940 - With the Soviet occupation from June 17th, the forced dissolution of the government of Estonia and the Kaitseliit began .

1990 - The Kaitseliit was re-established in Järvakandi on February 17th to defend Estonia's state sovereignty.

1991 - On September 4th, the Estonian State Court restored the rights of the Kaitseliit as a legal person.

1992 - On April 28, the Kaitseliit was incorporated into the Estonian Defense Forces as a national defense organization.

1999 - On February 8th, Parliament drafted the Defense League Act , thereby defining the position of the Kaitseliit in society and national defense, especially the main tasks, the structure of the organization, the legal basis of its activities, the administration and cooperation with others People.

Summary

Estonian Kaitseliit during a maneuver

The Kaitseliit was founded on November 11, 1918, a few months after Estonia gained independence. Its founder was the Estonian military Johan Pitka . Seventeen days later the Estonian War of Independence against Soviet Russia broke out, in which Pitka was appointed Rear Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Estonian Naval Forces.

During the interwar period , the Kaitseliit remained an important military organization in Estonia. The Defense League was banned after the Soviet Union occupied the country in 1940. Leading members were deported to Siberia or murdered by the Soviets, along with Estonian intellectuals .

Shortly before Estonian regained independence, the Kaitseliit was re-established on February 17, 1990.

organization

The Kaitseliit is a volunteer organization that has a structure and organization that is independent of the regular Estonian armed forces, the Kaitsevägi . She trains her relatives in military matters and deepens this knowledge in exercises. Membership in the Kaitseliit is not linked to any - even previous - membership in the armed forces. Rather, the Kaitseliit is intended to ensure the defense readiness of large sections of the population. Together with the Defense Forces ( Kaitsevägi ), the Defense League ( Kaitseliit ) forms the Estonian Armed Forces ( Kaitsejõud ). In the event of a defense, the forces of the Kaitseliit are also under the military control of the Supreme Commander of the Estonian Armed Forces. There is also close cooperation to support the police and border guards .

The Kaitseliit is divided into 15 battalions ( malev ), which largely correspond to the borders of the Estonian counties. A malev is divided into various companies ( kompanii ), a company into platoons ( rühm ), and a platoon into groups ( jagu ). Malev and Malevkond are 2 Estonian troops . A Malev is larger than a battalion , but smaller than a division . It is currently the largest military formation in the Kaitseliit structure. A Malev can consist of several Malevkond , for example the Tallinna Malev consists of 4 Tallinna Malevkond .

• Kaitseliit Tallinn ( Malev )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn Academics ( Malevkond )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn-Lääne ( Malevkond )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn Marine ( Division )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn-Nõmme ( Malevkond )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn-Toompea ( Malevkond )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn-Kristiine ( Company )
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn-Põhja-Tallinn (Company)
  • Kaitseliit Tallinn-Ida (company)
• Kaitseliit Harju ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Rapla ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Alutaguse ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Rakvere ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Jõgeva ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Järva ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Pärnu ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Lääne ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Saaremaa ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Tartu ( Malev )
  • Kaitseliit Tartu Academics ( Malevkond )
  • Kaitseliit Tartu-Tamme ( Malevkond )
  • Kaitseliit Tartu-Elva (company)
• Kaitseliit Sakala ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Valga ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Võru ( Malev )
• Kaitseliit Põlva ( Malev )

guide

Estonian Kaitseliit in training

The Kaitseliit is subordinate to the Estonian Ministry of Defense . Its permanent commander-in-chief is, as the commander-in-chief of state defense, the President of the Republic of Estonia . The headquarters of the Kaitseliit is in Tallinn .

The Commander of Defense League is the military commander of the Kaitseliit and the most senior officer, although he does not have to be the senior officer. It is his responsibility to man, train, equip and develop the organization. He does not serve as a direct commander on the battlefield. The commander is a member and head of the main staff, which is his main organizational tool. He is appointed by the Commander of the Defense Forces , the Supreme Commander of the Estonian Armed Forces , or by the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Defense Forces , the Commander in Chief of the State Defense and thus the President of Estonia.

The current Commander of Defense League has been Brigaadikindral Riho Ühtegi since 2019 . The Chief of Staff , the Chief of Staff of the Kaitseliit , has been Colonel Jaak Mee since 2018 .

staff

Estonian kaitseliit

In December 2011, the Kaitseliit and its affiliated organizations had over 21,000 members. This is made up as follows:

• Kaitseliit - 13,138
• Naiskodukaitse - 1,676
• Noored Kotkad - 3,200
• Kodutütred - 3,537

The outbreak of the Ukraine crisis at the beginning of 2014 and the related role of Russia caused the distrust of the “overpowering” neighbor of the Baltic states to grow considerably and caused a strong influx of volunteers for kaitseliit. One can assume that the Kaitseliit itself will rise to over 14,500 volunteers in 2014 and, with its affiliated organizations, to over 23,000 active members. This corresponds to an increase in membership of around 10% in 2014. Currently (as of July 2016) the Kaitseliit and its affiliated organizations have 25,385 members.

Rank badge

The kaitseliit uses the rank system of the Estonian Army .

	Generals				Staff officers			Officers
Auastmed	Kindral	Child conduction	Child Major Major	Brigaadikindral	Colonel	Colonel chief	major	Kapten	Lead number	Nooremleitnant	Lipnik
Rank	general	Lieutenant General	Major general	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	major	Staff Captain Captain	First lieutenant	lieutenant	Senior Ensign Ensign

	NCOs MP					NCOs oP			Teams
Auastmed	Ülemveebel	Static fog	Vanemveebel	Veebel	Nooremveebel	Vanemseersant	Seersant	Nooremseersant	Capral	Reamees
Rank	Sergeant Major	Staff Sergeant	Sergeant Major	Sergeant Major	sergeant	Staff Sergeant	Staff Sergeant Sergeant	Sergeant	Corporal Corporal	soldier

Function badge

The functional badges are worn by people with a special position within the Kaitseliit as a collar tab.

	Chief Staff Officers				Senior staff officers				Junior staff officers
Auastmed	Kaitseliidu ülem	Kaitseliidu Peastaabi ülem	Kaitseliidu maleva pealik	Vanematekogu liige	Maleva vaneminstructor	Malevkonna pealik	Kompanii pealik	Rühma pealik	Rühmapealik eriüksustes	Rühmapealiku abi	Jaopealik	Jaopealiku abi
function	commander	Chief of Staff	Chief of a Malev	Member of the State Defense Council	Chief instructor	Chief of a Malevkond	Company commander	Platoon leader	Platoon leader of a special unit	Deputy platoon leader	Squad leader	Deputy group leader

tasks

As a home defense organization in Estonia, the Kaitseliit is a public corporation and exercises sovereign functions. It is one of the four branches of the Estonian armed forces.

The main aim is to increase the nation's willingness to defend Estonia's independence and its constitution on the basis of the free will and initiative of citizens.

The cooperation with the following partners envisages further goals:

• Estonian police
• Estonian border troops
• County governments and local authorities
• Rescue services
• Fire brigades

public relation

The Victory Day on 23 June 1918 with from since 1934 Defense League celebrated organized military parades. This tradition has been continued since 2000. In June 2006 the first fleet parade in Estonian history was carried out by the Kaitseliit in Saaremaa .

The Kaitseliit is the patriotic magazine Kaitse Kodu! ("Protect the home!") Out.

Subsidiary organizations

The following organizations are assigned to the Kaitseliit :

• Naiskodukaitse ( Frauenheimwehr )

This Kaitseliit support organization consists of specially trained volunteer helpers who perform civil protection tasks .

• Noored Kotkad ( Young Eagles )

The Kaitseliit scout-like youth organization includes Estonian boys between the ages of eight and eighteen. The declared aim of the organization is education with regard to a healthy body, ethical mindset and psychological stability. In addition to numerous activities such as parachuting, paragliding, orientation marches and the use of firearms, the young people take part in various competitions among themselves.

• Kodutütred ( home daughters )

In order to increase patriotism and willingness to defend an independent Estonian state, this scout-like association for patriotically minded Estonian girls between the ages of eight and eighteen was founded.

equipment

Mercedes-Benz 1017A of the German Bundeswehr, which Estonia bought for the Kaiseliit

Patrol boat "Ristna" (P422) of the Naval Division

The first standard infantry weapon of the Estonian Home Guard Association was the IMI Galil family, and the volunteers were equipped with the IMI Galil AR. Due to the unfavorable center of gravity of the weapon, the Galil was gradually replaced by modified M14 and mainly by AK4 - the Swedish version of the G 3 A3 from Heckler & Koch. The AK4 has since been the new standard infantry weapon, but the Galil AR continues to be used as the enemy's weapon during maneuvers. The Püstol PM is used as a pistol .

Support fire is provided at the group and company levels through Ksp-58B and MG-3 machine guns . In addition, indirect fire from Chinese 40mm M-69 RPGs and Israeli 82mm B-300 anti-tank handguns is ensured at squad level, and B455 81mm mortars are used at battalion level . Some combat groups have 84 mm Carl Gustav armored rifles and 90 mm Pvpj 1110 anti-tank guns with anti-tank units.

The Heimwehr Association uses a variety of tactical transport vehicles ( DAF Y-2300 , GAZ-66 , UAZ-31512 , SKPF m / 42 , Volvo 934 , Unimog , Robur , PAZ , KAMAZ ) and has a small number of armored personnel carriers , including two BTR -60 and five BTR-152 . The Volvo TGB1111A is used as an off-road vehicle.

In March 2014, Estonia bought the Mercedes-Benz 1017A from Germany for the Kaiseliit 95 . The purchase price was two million euros.

The Marine Division of the Defense League also operates the Ristna , a 1957-built patrol boat of the R-Class Patrol Boat , a school and a museum ship.

education

On a voluntary basis, women and men take part in the Kaitseliit , who are trained in courses and military maneuvers . You must be at least 17 years old and an Estonian citizen. The units are uniformed and armed militarily. In the event of war, the members of the Kaitseliit have combatant status .

In addition to military training, the members of the Kaitseliit are also taught other skills that can also be vital in civil life. Members take part in first aid courses as well as advanced, in-depth courses in the field of rescue services.

Reserve officers can take appropriate courses to specialize in a subject in their free time, e.g. B. in medicine, telecommunications or pioneering; or train at the Estonian Defense League School in the following leadership courses:

• Teachers course - Defense Forces Teachers course
• Instructor course - Defense Forces Instructor course
• Leadership course - course leaderships

Other states work very closely with the Kaitseliit in the field of training , e.g. E.g .: the armed forces and national guards of Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the USA.

Calls

Members of the Kaitseliit are free to apply voluntarily for missions abroad by the regular armed forces. So far, Kaitseliit forces have participated in the following missions:

• ESTGUARD - an infantry platoon as part of the EUFOR / Operation Althea
• ESTRIF - an infantry platoon for KFOR
• a platoon on standby for the Nordic Battlegroup
• Staff officers for KFOR headquarters in Kosovo
• Participation of individual members in ISAF and MNF-I

Before every foreign assignment, there is an intensive 20-week training session, which is tailored to the expected deployment conditions in the respective country of deployment and is carried out together with the regular troops.

Web links

• Official website (Estonian)
• Estonian Defense League School (Estonian)
• Presentation of the Defense League on the official website of the Estonian armed forces (English)
• Law on Defense League of 8 February 1999 (Estonian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kaitseliidu Peastaap (Estonian)
2. ↑ Currently exist: Alutaguse Malev, Harju Malev, Jõgeva Malev, Järva Malev, Lääne Malev, Põlva Malev, Pärnumaa Malev, Rapla Malev, Saaremaa Malev, Sakala Malev, Tallinna Malev, Tartu Malev, Valgamaa Malev, Viru Malev and Võrumaa Malev
3. ^ Kaitseliit organization in Malev and Malevkond
4. ↑ Membership figures as of December 2011
5. ↑ Gudrun Dometeit: REPORTAGE: For honor, pride and freedom. In: Focus Online . December 24, 2014, accessed October 14, 2018 . 
6. ↑ http://www.kaitseliit.ee/et/kl
7. ↑ Estonian Defense League: Equipment ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
8. ↑ Defense League's Harju malev : Equipment of the Rävala malevkond ( Memento of the original from March 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ↑ http://estland.um.dk/da/om-os/nyheder/newsdisplaypage/?newsID=003CBB23-74FF-4B06-9CEC-2871081C84BC
10. ↑ http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/eesti/video-ja-fotod-kaitseliidu-malevad-said-saksamaalt-ligi-sada-veokit.d?id=65874076
11. ↑ EML Ristna projekt on the website of the Kaitseliit Marine Division, accessed on July 12, 2014 (Estonian).
12. ↑ http://operatsioonid.kmin.ee/index.php?page=192&  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ESTGUARD - 1st major foreign assignment of the Defense League  
13. ↑ http://operatsioonid.kmin.ee/index.php?page=176&  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Defense League provides troops  
14. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Presentation of the Defense League