Thursday, October 3
A delegation of six U.S. congresspersons visited Estonia from Sunday, September 29 to Wednesday, October 2, led by Member of the House of Representatives John Garamendi, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Readiness Subcommittee.
While in Estonia, Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA), Vicky Hartzer (R-MO), John Shimkus (R-IL), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR), and Thomas O’Halleran (D-AZ) met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu and Ministry of Defense Permanent Secretary Kristjan Prikk for strategic discussions on security and defense policy. The delegation also visited Ämari Airbase to observe ongoing collaboration between Estonian and American service members, and participated in conversations with Estonian Defense Force leadership. The visit concluded with briefings at the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCoE), focusing on the Center’s multinational research in the cyber field. Prior to Estonia, the delegation visited Ukraine and Poland.
The United States has provided more than $100 million in combined security assistance to Estonia over the last several years and conducts nearly 150 military-to-military engagements per year, with over 60 of those taking place with U.S. personnel in Estonia.
