Estonian Ministry of Defence
On 19 July, the outgoing Commander of Estonian Army Brigadier General Indrek Sirel turned over command of the Estonian Army to Colonel Artur Tiganik at a formal ceremony.

“As the largest armed service, the Estonian Army plays a key role in ensuring our primary independent defence capability,” said Commander of the Defence Forces Brigadier General Riho Terras in a speech made at the ceremony. “Brigadier General Sirel has discharged this responsibility honourably, and I am positive that Colonel Artur Tiganik will take the training and readiness of the Estonian Army to the next level.”

The Commander of the Defence Forces added that the Estonian Army has to inspire trust in the Estonian people. “The people of Estonia must be able to see and believe that our nation is protected,” said Brigadier General Terras.

At the end of the formal ceremony, the Commander of the Defence Forces handed an officer’s sword over to Brigadier General Sirel. “May this sword remind you of your responsibilities and calling. Bear this Estonian officer’s sword with honour, both in your native land and abroad,” said Brigadier General Terras, handing over the sword.

At the ceremony held on the Tapa campus of the Regional Command North-East, colour platoons of the Estonian Army and of the Estonian Army units as well as the Estonian Army Orchestra were lined up. In addition to the Commander of the Defence Forces, the event was attended by the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, the Unit Commanders and Chiefs of Staff of the Estonian Army, the Commander of the Latvian Army, the Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Army, and the military attachés of the United Kingdom, the United States and Finland.

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