Estonia has established bilateral defence relations with approximately 35 countries in Europe, North America and Asia. Residing Defence Attachés have been appointed to Finland, Poland, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Georgia and Russia.

In addition, Estonia employs defence policy advisers in Paris, Kyiv, Berlin and Washington, who accommodate co-operation projects between both the ministries and the armed forces.

Bilateral relations have been traditionally close with Nordic countries – Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Several Estonian officers have received a part of their military education in Finland and in Sweden through bilateral arrangements and there is broad co-operation with all Nordic countries in the field of defence procurements.

Co-operation with Denmark has in recent years focused mostly on training and contribution to international operations (KFOR, NRF14), Norway has been one of Estonia’s most important partners in the field of air surveillance and has helped Estonia to develop its Host Nation Support system. Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Norway are all participating nations of the EU Nordic Battle Group, which has significantly contributed to co-operation and interoperability between the Armed Forces.

All Nordic countries have also contributed to the Baltic co-operation initiatives, and to outreach activities in the Ukraine, Georgia and Western Balkans within the Nordic-Baltic Initiative for Regional Defence Co-operation. Sea surveillance and cyber security are emerging as new fields of co-operation between Estonia and the Nordic countries.

The United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom and France are also among Estonia’s closest Allies. Together with the Nordic countries, all of them have played a role in the developing of Estonian defence forces starting from the 1990-s. Close military co-operation with the United States continues to be an important cornerstone of Estonia’s security policy and covers a wide range of fields from training and military exercises, material and financial aid and procurements to common participation in operations and Baltic co-operation projects.

Defence co-operation with the United Kingdom has in the recent years focused on two major projects: participation of the Estonian troops in the UK-led Task Force in Southern Afghanistan as part of the NATO ISAF operation, and Naval co-operation in the field of mine hunting.

Germany and France have been among the main contributors to the Baltic co-operation projects - the most well-known of which is the Baltic Defence College, but there have been other fruitful projects in the sphere of Air Force and Navy. France is also an important partner for the Estonian Air Force in the field of training, and there is co-operation with both Germany and France in the field of cyber defence.

In addition to the projects mentioned above, bilateral co-operation includes co-ordination of defence political positions within regional frameworks and international organizations, including the EU and NATO, and exchange of information regarding defence reforms and capability development. All of these activities contribute towards the overall purpose of both bilateral and regional defence related co-operation, which is to achieve better mutual understanding and interoperability between the countries and their armed forces, as well as a more efficient use of resources.