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With a wary eye on neighboring Russia, Estonia has been proudly and defiantly independent since 1991, and part of the EU since 2004.
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On Saaremaa Island, NATO allies perform annual exercises as a show of force, to build tactical coordination and to reassure Estonia the West is committed to its defense.
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The Colorado National Guard was behind the planning and command of a live-fire rocket exercise in which Estonian forces communicated with and controlled the launch from vehicles operated by troops from Oklahoma.
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Another goal: Practicing speed and agility in deployment, including "hot refueling." Air Force special forces land a cargo plane that becomes a temporary mobile gas station for fighter jets.
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The harbor town of Kuressaare on Saaremaa Island, which hosts the National Guard, is like the rest of Estonia: contested land. Western forces will return next year for training.
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