Tapa Army Base

Tapa Army Base (Estonian: Tapa sõjaväelinnak), which lies to the south of the town Tapa, is the largest military base in Estonia. The base is next to the Central Training Area, excellent for artillery live-fire exercises and tracked unit maneuvers.

Tapa Army Base
Tapa sõjaväelinnak
Tapa, Estonia
Coordinates59°14′43.09″N 25°57′16.09″E
TypeArmy base
Site information
OwnerEstonian Defence Forces
Operator1st Infantry Brigade
Site history
Built1939
In use1939-present
Garrison information
Garrison1st Infantry Brigade
OccupantsScouts Battalion
Engineer Battalion
Artillery Battalion
Air Defence Battalion
Combat Service Support Battalion
NATO eFP Battalion

History

Tapa Army Base is one of the few former Soviet military facilities that was taken over by the Estonian Defence Forces in the early 1990s. The oldest facility is the airfield, which was built in the autumn of 1939 by the Red Army. After the end of World War II and the Soviet recapture of Estonia, the area of the base was enlarged, it totaled around 9 square kilometres (3.5 sq mi). The Red Army later stationed a Soviet Air Force fighter regiment equipped with 40 Mig-23 fighters in Tapa. In the 1960s the base received a tank and a pioneer training regiment. During the Soviet exploitation of the base, a lot of ecological damage was done, mainly due to the poor handling of oil and other fuels.

Present day

There are eight barracks in the compound and two more are being constructed. Three of the new barracks are for the NATOs multinational battle group. The canteen of the base can serve up to 3200 personnel. There are repair shops, garages, study halls, and shelters in the base.

In the future tracked armored maneuver units will be relocated to the Tapa military base. Maintenance facilities and shelters will be built for armored and unarmored vehicles.

Military units

The Tapa Army Base accommodates the following units:

See also

References
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