Estonian Defence Force Academy Opens New Officer Course for Graduates in Other Fields

The Defence Force Academy will relaunch a junior officer course this autumn, enabling individuals with higher education in other fields to acquire military officer training. The Defence Force currently has approximately 500 vacant positions, with around 400 additional posts expected by 2030.

The Defence Force Academy will relaunch a junior officer course this autumn, targeting those who have already acquired higher education in another field and completed basic military training through active service or the Kaitseliit.

Why is the course being relaunched?

The Defence Force faces a significant personnel shortage. Chief of the General Staff Major General Vahur Karus told media last year that approximately 500 military positions remain unfilled, with around 400 additional posts to be added by 2030. ERR has recently confirmed these figures. Although Lieutenant Colonel Lauri Kriisa, head of the Academy's curriculum development group, did not directly address whether the new course is linked to the personnel shortage, the numbers speak for themselves.

According to Kriisa, a similar course existed at the Academy approximately 20 years ago and provided the Defence Force with many individuals who subsequently made notable careers.

Course structure

The course lasts one year and four months: one year of studies conducted partly alongside the Academy's applied higher education students, followed by a four-month internship period with a Defence Force unit. Course graduates are subject to the same obligations as applied higher education students; after completion, they must serve in the Defence Force for a minimum of three years. If this obligation is not fulfilled, costs incurred by the state must be reimbursed in cash.

"This is resource-intensive education. Upon course completion (or discontinuation), the participant is obligated to reimburse state costs either through Defence Force service for a period twice the length of the study period or in monetary form," explained Lieutenant Colonel Kriisa.

Student benefits

Students at the Academy are guaranteed a monthly salary of at least 1,800 euros, free dormitory accommodation, medical care, and sports expense compensation.

There are actually three paths to becoming an officer in the Defence Force: applied higher education at the Academy, the new higher education-based course, and a reserve officer basic course during active service, where officer training takes seven weeks. The latter is preceded by a five-week junior officer course.

--