Agreement between Estonia, US eases mutual support in natl defense

TALLINN – A reciprocal fuel supply agreement between the Estonian defense forces and the United States Department of Defense, which facilitates the supply of fuel between the armed forces of the two countries and lays uniform bases for the supply of fuel, entered into force on Wednesday.

Among other things, the agreement lays down the conditions and quality requirements for the storage, handling and supply of fuels for air, sea and land forces. The agreement aims to increase the flexibility and speed of fuel supply between the entities and units of both countries, military spokespeople in Tallinn said.

"This is an important agreement for both parties, as it will speed up and make easier, among other things, our support as a host country for American soldiers in Estonia," said Brig. Gen.  Enno Mots, chief of staff of the Estonian defense forces, who signed the agreement on Estonia's behalf.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the United States by Brig. Gen. Jimmy R. Canlas, head of Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy).

The agreement is a supplementary agreement to the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) signed in 2008, which concerns any reciprocal supply of any fuel, whether in peacetime or in wartime, international military operations, humanitarian missions, joint exercises and other agreements. The agreement is open-ended and is applicable both in Estonia and elsewhere in the world, which includes all the needs of military forces.

The United States, Britain, Germany and France are Estonia's closest allies, which together with the Nordic countries have helped build the Estonian defense forces since the early 1990s. Cooperation with the United States includes many different categories such as training, military exercises, procurement, international operations and Baltic cooperation projects.