Category: Army

  • Compensation of reservists causes trouble for Estonia

    Having a good reserve is complicated. The material and logistical requirements are obvious as a reserve is not worth much if you are not able to provide simple things like uniforms and weapons when the reservists show up for service. Denmark is a good example of a country with a large reserve of former conscripts…

  • US should return to forward-stationed troops in Europe

    John R. Deni in War On The Rocks recommends a return to a more permanently forward-stationed army. [With] specific regard to Europe, the Pentagon should aim to station these units in Poland, either in whole or in part through split-basing. Stationing in Poland would provide greater assurance to Eastern Europe and more effectively deter aggression.…

  • Hope Estonia learned from the Kurkse Tragedy

    I never heard about the Kurkse Tragedy until I saw this film on Delfi.ee marking the 20th anniversary. 14 Estonian soldiers died while swimming across a narrow strait in unfavorable weather conditions. When looking at this tragedy it is hard not to get surprised by the reckless behavior of the soldiers and their commanding officers.…

  • Why would the Russians have four tank programs?

    If you lost sight of current Russian tank programs, Petri Mäkelä at Vantage Point North has you covered: When these four parallel tank programs are looked at from a strategic perspective few alarming possibilities emerge. If the reason for the new modernization programs are either the delays in the T-14 Armata program on insufficient funds…

  • What to do with a few tanks in Tallinn

    Thoughtful piece by Corporal Frisk about the possible tactical reflections behind the small number of British tanks stationed in Estonia: Traditionally, it has been held that tanks better stay out of cities. Incidents such as the destruction of Russian motorised units and their armour support during the first battle of Grozny has added to this…

  • Fatal accident at Russian tank shooting

    One military engineer is dead and five are wounded at a tank shooting in Leningrad Oblast, reports RIA Novosti citing an official message from the military. Apparently the accident occurred as a tank shell changed trajectory after hitting the ground and exploded near a shelter where the engineers were located. Now, this is a strange…

  • New Marine rotation arrives in Norway

    The second rotation of American Marines has arrived in Norway, reports Marine Corps Times: The Norwegian government has approved six-month rotations of about 300 Marines in Norway through 2018. The Marines also store military equipment in caves near Trondheim, Norway, to make sure that a Marine Air-Ground Task Force has what it needs for cold…

  • U.S. Army unprepared to deal with Russia in Europe

    Great article by Wesley Morgan for Politico.com. All countries should make regular and honest analyses of their operational abilities like the one by the 173rd Airborne Brigade, but unfortunately this kind of candor is rare. Too many decision makers get amazed by the technologically impressive possibilities of new equipment, and under the constraints of tight…

  • Should have left them in the garage

    Robert Beckhusen for War Is Boring in a piece titled “Military Exercises Are Tearng Up Russia’s Infrastructure“: In recent days, 574 vehicles of the crack 74th Guards Air Assault Division set off at night from its base at Pskov near the Estonian border for a training site at Strugi Krasnye some 40 miles to the…