A three-hour drive from Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, Camp Reedo only appears at the last bend of a dirt road cut through the pines. It’s less than 30 kilometers as the crow flies from Russia. This military base is the first to be built in Estonia since the end of the Soviet era in 1991. It is scheduled to welcome American soldiers as early as 2025. Dozens of hangars have been erected on a site that has just been cleared of trees and asphalt: Just 14 months separate the decision to start work in the summer of 2023 and the inauguration, which took place on September 17 in the shadow of the Estonian, European Union and NATO flags.
Until now, Estonia’s main military establishments have been in the north of the country, near the Baltic Sea, but Reedo marks the Estonians’ wish to strengthen their military presence on their southern flank, which they believe is the most exposed to Russian expansionism. “We’re doing all this for one reason: To ensure the security of Estonia and its allies,” said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur on the opening day, from behind his lectern on the gleaming asphalt parade ground.
The camp is part of NATO’s new military plans, which were decreed in July 2023. Their aim is to prevent the slightest Russian incursion onto “NATO soil” to avoid the policy of fait accompli, as in the Ukrainian case. “The strategy is clear: Don’t let them in,” said Pevkur. “Our presence here and that of our allies sends a very clear message of deterrence to Russia: We stand together. Attacking one country means attacking them all, and the response will come from all,” he said.
A stronger American presence
As fall approaches, the speed of construction seems to have taken the residents of the surrounding dachas by surprise. Their cottages, once situated on the shores of a tranquil lake, now stand next to paved roads that will soon be lined with columns of military equipment. Eventually, the Reedo right-of-way will even become part of a vast existing training camp called “Nursipalu,” whose surface area is due to triple in the coming months to 10,000 hectares – the equivalent of the Mourmelon camp in northeastern France used by the French army.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pekvur at Camp Reedo, Estonia, September 17, 2024. LAURENT VAN DER STOCKT FOR LE MONDEÂ
The border crossing with Russia, some 30 kilometers southeast of Voru, Estonia, on September 17, 2024. LAURENT VAN DER STOCKT FOR LE MONDE
Until now, the 500 or so American soldiers who will be the first to move into the new facilities have been housed in blue containers lined up a few kilometers away at the Taara base, a former Soviet-era complex. These soldiers began arriving in Estonia at the end of 2023, following the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement between Tallinn and Washington. Since then, their presence has grown steadily, and Taara’s facilities have become too crowded.
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