The 1st Infantry Brigade ( et, 1. jalaväebrigaad) is an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

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 the primary military unit in Northern Estonia. The brigade headquarters is based at

Tapa Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to: Media *Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic * ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film * ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...

History

On 25 April 1917, the 2nd Naval Fortress Regiment of the

Peter the Great's Naval Fortress Peter the Great's Naval Fortress or the Tallinn-Porkkala defence station was a Russian fortification line, which aimed to block access to the Russian capital Saint Petersburg via the sea. The plans for the fortress included heavy coastal artiller ...

was formed in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

, recruited from Estonians. In May 1917, the regiment was renamed 1st Estonian Infantry Regiment. From 1918 to 1920, the unit fought in the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...

. The unit was disbanded after the

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...

in 1940. On 1 February 2003, the 1st Infantry Brigade was formed in Tallinn. In 2006, the brigade headquarters was moved to

Paldiski Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri Peninsula of northwestern Estonia. Since 2017, it's the administrative centre of Lääne-Harju Parish of Harju County. Previously a village of Estonia-Swedes known by the historical ...

. On 1 January 2009, the brigade was formed around three battalions:

Scouts Battalion The Scouts Battalion ( et, Scoutspataljon) is a battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. 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 E ...

Kalev Infantry Battalion The Kalev Infantry Battalion ( et, Kalevi jalaväepataljon) is an infantry battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. It is a part of the 1st Infantry Brigade and its primary task is to train conscription-based mechanized infantry units. The battal ...

, and the Combat Service Support Battalion. On 1 August 2014,

Viru Infantry Battalion The Viru Infantry Battalion ( et, Viru jalaväepataljon) is a battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. It is a part of the 1st Infantry Brigade and its primary task is to train conscription-based infantry and anti-tank units. The battalion has be ...

, Engineer Battalion, Air Defence Battalion and Artillery Battalion of the former North-Eastern Defence District were added to the 1st Infantry Brigade and headquarters was moved to

Current structure

1st Infantry Brigade: * 1st Infantry Brigade (Estonia) emblem

Headquarters (Tapa) * 1st Infantry Brigade (Estonia) emblem

Headquarters Support and Signal Company (Tapa) * Scouts Battalion emblem

(Tapa) *

(Jõhvi) *

(Jõhvi) *

Artillery Battalion (Tapa) * Õhutõrjepataljon emblem

Air Defence Battalion (Tapa) * Insignia of Engineer Battalion (Estonia)

Engineer Battalion (Tapa) * Insignia of Combat Service Support Battalion (Estonia)

Combat Service Support Battalion (Tapa) * Insignia of the 1st Brigade Anti-tank Company (Estonia)

Anti-Tank Company (Jõhvi) * Reconnaissance Company (Tapa) Around 1800 conscripts are serving at different units of the brigade at the same time along with professional soldiers.

Equipment

Brigade units is armed with

CV90 The Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90; Sw. ''Stridsfordon'' 90, Strf90) is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (''Försvarets Materielverk'', FMV), Hägglunds and Bofors during the mid-1980s to ear ...

infantry fighting vehicles An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed For ...

Pasi Pasi may refer to: * Pasi (caste), a Hindu caste of northern India * ''Pasi'' (film), a 1979 Tamil film * Pasi (given name) * Pasi (surname), a surname of the Pasi community * Pasi, Papua New Guinea, a settlement near the coast of Sandaun Provinc ...

armoured personnel carriers An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

FH70 The FH70 (field howitzer for the 1970s) is a towed howitzer in use with several nations. History In 1963, NATO agreed a NATO Basic Military Requirement 39 for close support artillery, either towed or tracked. Subsequently, Germany and UK st ...

and D30 howitzers,

Mistral Mistral may refer to: * Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia Automobiles * Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970 * Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006 * Microp ...

and

ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for ''Zenitnaya Ustanovka'' (Russian: Зенитная Установка) – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13. Developm ...

anti-aircraft systems and

Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

anti-tank missiles. The Brigade uses a fleet of MB Unimog, MB Actros,

Volvo FMX The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributi ...

, DAF trucks,

BV-206 Bandvagn 206 (Bv 206) (meaning ''"Tracked Vehicle 206"'' in English) is a Tracked articulated vehicle, tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds (now part of BAE Systems Platforms & Services) for the Swedish Army. It consis ...

amphibious carriers and MB GD240 jeeps.

List of commanders

* Toivo Treima 16 June 2003 – 1 August 2005 *

Aivar Kokka Aivar Kokka (born in 1968) is an Estonian military personnel. 2005–2006, he was deputy chief of 1st Infantry Brigade (Estonia), 1st Infantry Brigade. In 2014, he was awarded by the Order of the Cross of the Eagle, IV Class. References

...

(acting) 2 August 2005 – 31 March 2006 *

Raivo Lumiste Raivo Lumiste (born on 1 August 1969 Pärnu) is an Estonian military personnel. 2003 he was the commander of Baltic Battalion. 2006 he was the commander of 1st Infantry Brigade. 2006-2012 he was the commander of Estonian Defence League. In 2002 ...

1 April 2006 – 5 September 2006 *

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 ...

18 September 2006 – 7 April 2009 *Märt Plakk (acting) 8 April 2009 – 30 June 2009 *Margus Rebane (acting) 1 July 2009 – 23 August 2009 * 24 August 2009 – 2 October 2010 * Urmas Nigul 3 October 2010 – 31 July 2012 * Aron Kalmus 1 August 2012 – 31 July 2015 *

Veiko-Vello Palm Veiko-Vello Palm (born on 29 May 1971) is an Estonian Major General of the Estonian Defence Forces. Since 2023, he is the Commander of the Estonian Division. Early life Veiko-Vello Palm was born on 29 May 1971. He attended the Tallinn 21st Sc ...

1 August 2015 – 3 August 2018 * Vahur Karus 3 August 2018 – 17 June 2021 * Andrus Merilo 17 June 2021 - present

References

External links