A military base Reedo was opened near Võru

The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) announces the opening of the Reedo military camp near Võru today, handed over to Estonian Defence Forces 2nd Infantry Brigade, which can accommodate any unit from Allied Forces or Estonian Defence Forces units both permanently and temporarily, during peacetime exercises and crisis situations, supporting the achievement of unit combat readiness.

Previously, there was no designated area for allies in Southern Estonia. "Former allied units were accommodated in Taara barracks, where we provided them with a barracks and built one of Estonia's largest container camps. With the new barracks, they can stay near the training area during exercises and practice defending Estonia under good conditions," said Peeter Karja, the Southern Portfolio Manager of ECDI.

"In order to better protect Estonia, we must be ready to host allies on a much larger scale according to NATO's new defense plans. But even now, the Estonian Defense Forces need additional space to be able to accommodate extra allied units and provide them with suitable conditions for accommodation, storing equipment, weapons, and ammunition, as well as for training," said  Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur.

The areas for receiving allies are ideally suited for to accommodate and host units during crises or exercises. "This simplifies their arrival and achievement of combat readiness here. After a short stay, units proceed to operational areas or return to their countries of origin," explained Elari Kalmaru, the Training Areas Portfiolio Manager at ECDI.

Colonel Mati Tikerpuu, commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, said the Estonian Defense Forces' goal is to practice defending Estonia daily and year-round with allies. For troops and units to focus on training during peacetime, they need supporting infrastructure – a dining hall, accommodation and maintenance facilities, and a place to store equipment. "It gives us strong confidence knowing that for the allied units with whom we plan and practice defending Estonia, good reception conditions now exist, should an entire unit need to come help defend Estonia," added Colonel Tikerpuu.

The ECDI-managed and Estonian Defence League monitored area includes eight accommodation halls that can house  up to 1,000 people, maintenance halls for equipment, dining and kitchen halls, washrooms, and storage halls.

The ally reception area for Allied Forces was designed and constructed by Mapri Ehitus, a Southern Estonian company. The construction, including additional works, cost 21 million euros. Tarmo Roos, the CEO of Mapri Ehitus, praised the collaboration with the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments and added that despite ambitious timelines, the work was completed ahead of schedule. "We hope the allies who may arrive here when needed will also be satisfied with the result. Estonia needs to keep its friends close, and it's great if we can also contribute to their living conditions," added Roos.