U.S. AND BRITISH TROOPS TO TAKE PART IN ESTONIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE

Courtesy of The Baltic Times    February 8, 2016

February 24 will see around 1,100 uniformed personnel and 90 equipment units take part in Estonia’s Independence Day on Tallinn’s Vabaduse Square.

The parade marking the 98th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia will begin at noon.

All together 35 flags, nine companies, four batteries, ten platoons and two orchestras will take part.

To be represented are all branches of the armed forces, the National Defence College, the Baltic Defence College, the Guard Battalion, the Staff and Signal Battalion, the 1st and the 2nd infantry brigade, the Support Command, units of the Kaitseliit (Defense League) volunteer corps, plus the cadets of the Academy of Security Sciences.

The U.S. contingent currently in Estonia will take part in the parade with some 70 personnel and four armoured carriers.

A platoon-sized British unit and colour guards from Belgium, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania will also take part.

After the march, members of the public will be able to take a closer look at the equipment of the Estonian army and its allies displayed at the parade.

The equipment to be displayed includes 155-millimeter and 122-millimeter howitzers, ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, the Mistral anti-aircraft complex, Milan and Javelin antitank systems, 120-millimeter grenade launchers, Sisu XA-188 and Stryker armored personnel carriers, the Ground Master 403 mobile air surveillance radar, and other combat support vehicles.