The overwhelming majority, or 81%, of Estonians believe that their country should always offer armed resistance if attacked by another state, according to an Emor survey for the Ministry of Defence, ERR reports. Around 50% of residents believe that Estonia can defend itself until allied assistance arrives. Also, 62% of residents are willing to take part in defence personally. However, the willingness to defend the country is much higher among ethnic Estonians (69%) than among residents of other nationalities (48%). Around 33% of residents expect Estonia’s security situation to deteriorate, while 29% expect the situation to remain the same. At the same time, 71% of residents feel personally safe. Moreover, 35% of respondents support increasing defence spending further. Another 35% believe that current defence spending is sufficient, and 17% say that defence spending should be reduced instead.
Meanwhile, Anu Rannaveski, head of Estonia’s Defence Resources Agency (KRA), says that mandatory military conscription of women is inevitable, ERR reports. She noted that Estonia’s birth rate is much too low, which means that there will not be enough young men to meet the target of 4,100 conscripts by 2040. Also, young men with poorer health would have to be conscripted, she explained. Earlier, Rait Maruste, former chief justice at Estonia’s Supreme Court, proposed extending mandatory military conscription to women, pointing out that many roles in modern national defence do not require physical strength. Estonia’s defence chief, Andrus Merilo, said that female conscription should be encouraged but remain voluntary. In 2025, just 45 women entered into voluntary military service. Rannaveski insisted that every Estonian citizen had a duty to defend Estonia’s independence.