National defence duty

Estonia’s national defence is based on a comprehensive approach to national defence. This means that protecting the country involves not only military defence but also that all government institutions and the entire society must be prepared to defend the state. The national defence work obligation helps ensure the functioning of the state’s essential functions during a crisis situation.

Which institutions are national defence agencies?

National defence agencies are various state institutions that have:

national defence tasks or
tasks directly related to ensuring internal security, constitutional order, or the continuity of vital services.

What is a position with national defence work obligation?

Positions with national defence work obligation are located within the structure of national defence institutions. These positions are designated based on job duties that must be directly related to fulfilling national defence objectives. People working in these positions ensure the functioning of the state’s core functions, including public order, during crisis situations.

National defence institutions themselves assign these positions unless they are designated by the National Defence Act or by Government regulation. Positions designated by the government include those of the President of the Republic, members of the Government, members of the Parliament, members of the European Parliament, the Auditor General, the Chancellor of Justice, the State Secretary, the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court, chairpersons of circuit, county, and administrative courts, the Chairman and President of the Bank of Estonia, as well as mayors of municipalities and cities.

Each national defence institution has a maximum limit for the number of national defence positions it may assign. Positions must be designated based on actual needs, and if necessary, fewer positions than the limit may be assigned. A person working in such a position does not need to be subject to military service. The limits for institutions are set by a Government regulation.

The Defence Resources Agency maintains records in the military service register of conscripts or individuals willing to undertake military service who work in national defence positions.

What should be known about national defence positions?

If you work in a national defence position and are a conscript, you may be called for training assemblies during peacetime, but upon a justified request from the institution, you can be exempted from such assemblies.
To enforce work obligations, the Government may impose travel bans from Estonia and special rules regarding working and rest hours during heightened defence readiness.
If you share a national defence position with others who all work part-time, only one of you has the national defence work obligation.
The declaration of martial law interrupts your leave, and you must immediately report to your position. Exceptions are pregnancy and maternity leave, adoption leave, and parental leave.
During heightened defence readiness and martial law, a state-funded national defence institution may unilaterally reduce your salary if the state budget is cut, while the institution must continue performing tasks or providing services necessary for the functioning of the state.
The Defence Forces take working in a national defence position into account when staffing wartime units, and in crisis or wartime situations, you fulfill your military obligation at your position, not as part of a wartime unit.
If the institution is not listed in the Government regulation or if the set limit does not correspond to actual needs, you should submit a proposal for changes to the Ministry of Defence.
The Defence Resources Agency answers questions related to data exchange or position accounting.

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