The Scouts Battalion ( et, Scoutspataljon) is a battalion of the

Estonian Land Forces The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

. It is a part of the 1st Infantry Brigade and acts as its rapid response unit. The battalion is currently based at Tapa and is commanded by

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Eero Aija.

History

Estonian War of Independence

In November 1918, Estonian American entrepreneur and

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

enthusiast Henry Reissar returned to Estonia and turned to the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

(then Ministry of War) with a proposition of forming a voluntary military unit, financed by himself, in order to help defend Estonia. Having received such permission, the unit was formed on 21 December 1918, in Viljandi, where the first volunteers took their oaths in the ruins of Viljandi Castle, and Friedrich-Karl Pinka was appointed commander of the newly formed unit. On 3 January 1919, the company-sized unit was sent to the front against the Red Army. On 23 January 1919, a 43-man unit of Scouts captured the Pikksaare Train Station, defended by 524 Red Army troops. The Scouts fought mostly alongside armoured train units and acquitted themselves well in combat, manifesting greater morale than the regular conscript units. The Scouts took part in several major battles including the attack against the Krasnaya Gorka fort in October 1919 and the Battle of Krivasoo in November – December 1919. On 1 December 1919, the Scouts Regiment ( et, Scoutspolk) was formed as a part of the Armoured Train Division.

1920–1940

After the signing of the Peace Treaty of Tartu, many servicemen were demobilized and returned to civilian life. From 1921-28, the Scouts unit was reduced in size and continued to serve as a part of the 2nd, 5th, 6th and 10th Infantry Regiment. On 1 October 1928, the unit was renamed Scouts Single Infantry Battalion. The battalion was based at Tallinn, from where it was moved to Uuemõisa in 1932. After the Soviet occupation in 1940, the battalion was disbanded.

2001–present

The Scouts Battalion was restored on 29 March 2001, as a fully professional unit. The Scouts Battalion has actively participated in international operations together with other NATO, European Union and United Nations member states, including the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. The battalion is currently equipped with Combat Vehicle 90 infantry fighting vehicles and Patria Pasi armoured personnel carriers.

Current structure

Scouts Battalion: * Battalion Headquarters ** A Infantry Company ** B Infantry Company ** C Infantry Company ** Combat Support Company ** Staff and Support Company

List of commanders

Artur Tiganik Artur Tiganik (born 13 January 1971) is an Estonian Kindral, Brigadier General who served as the Deputy Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces. He previously served as the Commander of the Estonian Land Forces. Biography Tiganik was born in Lo ...

2001–2004 *

Indrek Sirel Indrek Sirel (born 16 January 1970) is a general of the Estonian Defence Forces. Early life Sirel was born in Tallinn, Estonia. Career Sirel graduated from the Moscow Military Academy in June 1991 and joined the Soviet Union Army. One of his e ...

2005–2006 * Aivar Kokka 2006–2009 * Vahur Karus 2009–2013 * Andrus Merilo 2013–2016 *Tarmo Kundla 2016–2019 *Eero Aija 2019-present

References

External links

Official website
{{Battalions of Estonia Military history of Estonia Estonian War of Independence Battalions of Estonia Military units and formations established in 1918 1918 establishments in Estonia