US Army unit rotation in Estonia to resume in November 2026 after interruption

An M1A2 Abrams tank of 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army firing during a combined arms live fire exercise near Tapa, Estonia, on 19 February 2026. (US Army/SPC Ariana Smith)

The Estonian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 23 September 2026 that US representatives have informed Estonia that the rotational presence of US forces in the country would continue with a new unit arriving in November.

Estonian Defence Minister Martin Herem said, “Estonia highly values the US presence in Estonia and its contribution to ensuring security in the Baltic region. This is a cornerstone of NATO's deterrence and defence posture, confirming the allies' readiness and unity to defend alliance territory.”

The Estonian MoD added that US representatives had said the decision was separate from the Pentagon's force posture review, adding that the unit arriving in Estonia would be equivalent in size and capability to the unit that rotated out in the second quarter of 2026. That unit was the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment (6/9 CAV), whose rotation was followed by a temporary suspension due to the ongoing review of the US military force structure.

There will continue to be a reduced US presence at Camp Reedo in southern Estonia. Task Force Voit, consisting of rotational US soldiers, originally deployed to Estonia on short notice in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The task force and the US Army's V Corps trained and prepared Estonians on the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Under the European HIMARS Initiative, a V Corps effort with European forces aiming to increase allied capability and capacity and interoperability, a summit was held in Tallinn on 15-16 January 2025 to integrate HIMARS capabilities across allied formations.