Other events in Baltic States

Commander of the NATO command element Col. Urmas Nigul handed over command and flag of the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) in Estonia to Col. Aron Kalmus, who until now headed the Estonian defense forces' operations department, reported LETA/BNS. 

"The NATO command element has an important role not only in ensuring the security of NATO's eastern flank but that of all allies. It is important to remember that real power lies in the ability to find as optimum solutions to complex solutions as possible, not only in power and control," commander of NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast Lt. Gen. Manfred Hofmann said at a ceremony that took place at the headquarters of the defense forces.

Col. Nigul is to continue service as an advisor at the permanent representation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.

Before assuming the position of commander of the NFIU, Col. Aron Kalmus served as head of the operations department of the headquarters of the defense forces and before that as commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade. Kalmus has a military education degree from the Finnish National Defense University, he has been awarded the Cross of Merit of the Estonian Defense Forces for national defense services and the Army Officer Gold Cross.

The decision to establish the NATO command elements was adopted at NATO's Wales summit in 2014. The first members of the Estonian defense forces started service on June 15, 2005. 

Estonia fills half of the 40 positions, while allies from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Norway, Poland, the UK and the United States are serving in the rest of the positions at the NATO command element in Tallinn.

In addition to Estonia, similar command elements are located in seven NATO countries. The command elements holding the status of international military headquarters located in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary answer to NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast located in Szczecin, Poland, while the command elements of Romania and Bulgaria answer to NATO's Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy.