On Thursday, May 28, as part of the live-fire phase of the exercise Spring Storm 2026 at the Estonian Defence Forces’ Central Training Area, artillery units from Estonia, France, and the United Kingdom conducted a joint live-fire exercise to support the manoeuvres of the 2nd Infantry Brigade during their live-fire exercise.
“The live-fire exercises during Spring Storm are among the most important exercises in the training cycle, as they facilitate both cooperation with allies and the opportunity to conduct combat operations within a brigade framework. Such joint exercises allow us to identify procedural differences between countries and find ways to develop cooperation while taking these differences into account,” said Second Lieutenant Kris Antsmaa, Deputy Battery Commander of the Estonian Division’s Artillery Regiment. “The exercise was particularly important for the Estonians because, while active-duty personnel usually focus on training others, this time they too were able to be part of the gun crew alongside reservists and thereby refresh their own knowledge and skills.”
The goal of the exercise was to reinforce the interoperability of Estonian and allied artillery units and to increase the units’ readiness to support the operations of manoeuvre units on the battlefield. During the live-fire exercises, artillery crews from various countries carried out fire missions, practicing target detection, fire control, and assessing the effects of fire. They also practiced planning and coordinating indirect fire support among allied units.
“The live-fire phase for us marks the conclusion of the exercise Spring Storm 2026, which has provided us with many valuable lessons. Today’s live-fire exercises gave French gunners a unique opportunity to use a joint fire support system, which allows us to improve interoperability with our allies,” said Colonel Damien Delort, Commander of the French contingent in Estonia. “This is another step that makes us stronger together.”
Spring Storm is the largest annual exercise of the Estonian Defence Forces, during which the planning and execution of military operations are practiced, and cooperation between Estonian and allied units is strengthened. The exercise involves active-duty personnel, conscripts, reservists, members of the Estonian Defence League, as well as troops from allied and partner nations. The first exercise Spring Storm was conducted in 2003, and currently this is the 20th Spring Storm. In 2015, 2018, 2022, and 2025, the exercise Hedgehog was held instead of Spring Storm.