Two drones raised alarms in the South Estonia region of Estonia on Oct. 17 when they appeared near the Reedo military barracks, resulting in one of the drones being shot down, according to an Estonian press report this week.
The base, home to Estonia’s 2nd Infantry Brigade, currently houses U.S. troops of the Army’s 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment.
Defense News requested a comment from U.S. Defense Department sources but had not received a response at the time of publication.
The drones appeared at 4:30 p.m. One was downed with an anti-drone rifle, Liis Vaksmann, Estonian Defense Forces Headquarters spokesperson, told Estonian outlet Postimees.
No details have been released regarding the model of the drones or whether U.S. forces played any role in shooting one down. Vaksmann told the press that the downed drone could not be located by Estonian authorities and had not been recovered.
The 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment is the first Army armored brigade combat team to be rotated to Estonia. It is intended to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank against aggression, and has been training regularly with Estonian Defense Forces.
In May, the U.S. troops conducted a large-scale exercise in which they boosted battlefield interoperability with Estonian troops.
“The U.S. Bradleys offered the unit commanders of both the 3rd Kuperjanov Battalion and Kalev Infantry Battalion experience for integrating them into their battle plans, so that they can together reach a conquering end in the battle,” Estonian Maj. Toomas Rein of the EDF’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters, said at the time.
At the end of August, American soldiers of the 5-7 Cav were presented with the NATO Kaitsel Medal by Kaimo Kuusk, permanent secretary of Estonia’s Defense Ministry in recognition of their assistance.
The appearance of the drones comes as the U.S. military is drawing down some forces from NATO’s eastern border, according to reports Wednesday. The Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will not be replaced in Europe following its redeployment to the U.S.
“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5. Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement on Wednesday.
However, following the drone incident near Reedo barracks, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur issued a strongly worded statement Thursday confirming that American troops will remain in Estonia.
“We welcome the U.S. decision to continue its troop presence in Estonia. This confirms the importance of our strategic cooperation and the U.S.’s ongoing commitment to the defense of our region and NATO’s entire eastern flank,” Pevkur said in a release, adding that U.S. troops at Reedo are augmented by an additional U.S. tank unit at Tapa. He stressed that joint training exercises would continue.
“We are working to further strengthen the U.S. military presence in our region and are ready to make additional investments in the necessary infrastructure and expanded training opportunities to host our allies,” Pevkur said.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
