Officials argue the move is necessary amid deteriorating regional security and lessons drawn from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The longer service period, they say, will allow for more advanced training and better integration of modern weapons systems. Under the plan, conscripts will spend six months in intensive instruction followed by six months of combat-focused exercises. Estonia, which relies heavily on a reserve-based defense model, drafts about 4,000 people each year in a country of roughly 1.37 million.
