In Estonia today, on April 20, the NATO battalion will begin its combat service, in connection with which a solemn ceremony will be held with the participation of the country's leadership, as well as the defense ministers of Estonia, Great Britain, Denmark, representatives of the defense ministry of France and the North Atlantic Alliance.

The NATO battalion includes about 1,200 troops from NATO countries, including more than 800 from Britain and more than 300 from France. In the arsenal of the British contingent, Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, AS90 self-propelled howitzers and armored cars. The French contingent of military equipment is represented by tanks Leclerc, infantry fighting vehicles VBCI and armored vehicles VAB, the press service of the Estonian Defense Forces.

Military men from France in three months will be replaced by the Danes.

The French military will serve in Estonia for eight months, after which they will be replaced by the Danes.

The NATO battalion combat group is located in the military campus in Tapa and will interact with the 1st Brigade of the Estonian Defense Forces. The battalion will be led by Great Britain.

Recall that at the NATO summit in Warsaw in July 2016, it was also decided to deploy four battalions in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in 2017.

Germany leads the battalion in Lithuania, the United States in Poland, the United Kingdom in Estonia, and the Canadians in Latvia.