New US Army rotation arrives in Estonia

A new US Army rotation has arrived in Estonia and has been in the country for more than a week, the US Embassy and Defence Minister Martin Herem told ERR.

“We confirm the presence of Apache Troop, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, for its planned nine-month rotation in Estonia,” US Embassy spokesperson Kelli Long told ERR.

A formal ceremony marking the unit’s presence across the Baltic states, during which it will raise its flag, is scheduled to take place in Lithuania later this month, Long said.

Herem said the unit’s advance team and equipment had been in Estonia for more than a week.

The previous US unit left Estonia in the summer, before the arrival date of its replacement was known. Then-Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the gap in the US military presence was due to the Pentagon’s review of its forces in Europe.