National defence structure

Duties of the President of the Republic 

• The President of the Republic proposes to the Riigikogu the declaration of martial law, mobilisation, demobilisation, and a state of emergency.
• According to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia the President is the supreme commander of national defence.
• In the case of aggression directed against the Republic of Estonia, the President has the right to declare martial law and mobilisation without waiting for a decision from the Riigikogu (Parliament).
• The President of the Republic is advised by the National Defence Council, which discusses issues important for national defence.

Duties of the Riigikogu (Parliament)

• The Riigikogu declares a state of emergency, martial law, mobilisation, and demobilisation upon the proposal of the President of the Republic, and approves changes in the level of military preparedness.
• The Riigikogu approves the foundations of security policy on the proposal of the Government of the Republic. These serve as the basic document for planning Estonia’s security and, consequently, national defence goals, principles, and directions.
• The Riigikogu's National Defence Commitee processes draft laws relating to national security and defence, and the full Riigikogu votes on them. The Committee also provides opinions on other major defence plans and the nomination of the Commander of the Defence Forces.

Duties of the Government of the Republic

• The Government of the Republic coordinates and directs national defence activities, including planning the implementation of comprehensive national defence.
• The Government of the Republic, on the proposal of the Minister of Defence, approves the national defence strategy and the national defence development plan, which are the second most important national defence plans after the security policy foundations.
• The Government of the Republic appoints and dismisses the Commander of the Defence Forces.
• In case of a threat to the state, the Government of the Republic decides on the change in the level of military preparedness, based on the proposal of the Minister of Defence, but it must be approved by the Riigikogu.
• The Government of the Republic is advised by a security commitee consisting of six ministers, which analyses and assesses the security situation. 

Duties of the Ministry of Defence

• The Ministry of Defence is responsible for organising military national defence and for securing civil sector support for military defence.
• The Ministry of Defence prepares draft laws concerning national security and national defence.
• The Minister of Defence proposes to the Government of the Republic the appointment and dismissal of the Commander of the Defence Forces.

Duties of other ministries

• The role of other ministries in national defence has increased with the implementation of comprehensive national defence. According to the strategy for comprehensive national defence, key areas in addition to military defence include: 
   
  • International activities, managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Ensuring internal security, managed by the Ministry of the Interior;
  • Ensuring the continuity of critical services, managed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and other ministries
  • Psychological defence, managed by the Government Office

Duties of the Defence Forces and the Defence League

• The Defence Forces is a governmental authority whose primary task is the military defence of the country and participation in collective self-defence. The Defence Forces are led by the Commander of the Defence Forces, both in peacetime and wartime.
• The Defence League is a voluntary, public legal entity, and one of its main tasks is preparing the nation’s military defence capability. The Defence League is led by the Commander of the Defence League.

Duties of the Defence Resources Agency and the Foreign Intelligence Service

• The Defence Resources Agency is a government agency responsible for managing conscript and mobilisation-related material resources.
• The Foreign Intelligence Service collects and processes information necessary for ensuring national security and the constitutional order.

Comprehensive National Defence 

Estonia's national defence relies on the concept of comprehensive national defence. This means that the defence of the country involves not only military defence but also requires all state institutions and the entire society to be prepared to defend the nation.

The primary task of Estonia's national defence is to prevent a potential attack against Estonia and ensure that, if necessary, the country can successfully defend itself.

The aim of Estonia's national defence is not only to win a potential conflict but also to prevent conflict through deterrence – this is the most effective and cost-efficient way to protect the country.

Comprehensive national defence enhances the resilience and readiness of Estonian society for any crises. Therefore, comprehensive national defence also has a deterrent effect, as it sends a message to any potential aggressor that Estonia is a resilient nation and society.

According to the concept of comprehensive national defence, national defence is divided into six main interrelated areas, each with specific responsible parties. The principle followed is that institutions responsible for a given area during wartime must also be responsible during peacetime.

National defence is described as a collection of broad-based activities in the following areas:

• Continuity of the state and society:

  This area covers ensuring the continuity of vital services or other services of significance to national defence in any situation. It also takes into account the public authorities' ability to perform their core duties in a crisis situation, risk insurance in governance, agility, and the strategic leadership capacity of the state. The functioning of various services in a crisis is necessary for the population as a whole, as well as for various authorities or other legal entities. Additionally, to achieve societal cohesion, public awareness and readiness for crises must be increased. Attacks on vital or other important services weaken society's resilience. Ensuring continuity guarantees the functioning of society in dangerous situations and provides better conditions for resolving the ongoing crisis or repelling an enemy attack.

• International action:

  This area involves the prevention, reduction of tensions, and the creation of appropriate conditions for credible deterrence, as well as the application of collective defence and crisis management. Through international action, Estonia ensures favorable conditions in the international environment that are necessary and assist in effectively implementing NATO's collective defence or international crisis management. Additionally, international action aims to ensure that in the event of a crisis or armed conflict, solidarity and a unified situational awareness prevail among NATO and European Union member states.    

• Strategic communication:

  This area includes the development of the state's strategic communication and psychological defence. The goal of strategic communication in this document's context is to ensure support for Estonia's security policy, maintain public awareness of the security situation, avoid panic, neutralise hostile influence operations, and expose and prevent the spread of misinformation. Strategic communication involves planning and consolidating state activities into a unified communication effort and transmitting it to society.

• Internal Security:

  This area encompasses ensuring internal security and the readiness of institutions during a crisis or attack, as well as the protection of Estonia's independence, sovereignty, and constitutional order. Internal security ensures the prevention of any covert or hybrid activities aimed at undermining Estonia's constitutional order and the protection of public order. In the event of an attack against Estonia, the fulfillment of the institutions' core responsibilities, the availability of necessary assistance to citizens, and the resolution of accompanying crises are guaranteed.

• Civil sector support for military defence:

  This area focuses on the efficient mobilisation of military defence and its effective operation. Civil sector support includes mobilisation, the deployment of state assets, the reception of allies and the provision of necessary infrastructure, the application of compulsory duties, and contractual relationships with owners of critical resources and services. Civil sector support for military defence should not significantly reduce the overall resilience of society.

• Military defence:

  This area covers the development and maintenance of independent defence capabilities and the implementation of NATO's collective defence. Estonia's military defence is based on an independent defence capability and NATO's collective defence. Military defence ensures sufficient capacities to safeguard the country's sovereignty and to prevent, block, and repel a military attack.