Estonian Defense Forces commander-in-chief Ants Laaneots said that an Estonian-U.S. joint exercise will take place next summer, in the course of which U.S. marines practice landing operations on the Estonian coast, reports LETA. "We are planning a joint exercise with the U.S. Navy in the course of which a practical landing exercise of U.S. marines takes place somewhere on our coast. Where and how exactly it will take place, is being worked on," said Laaneots, speaking at a press conference with U.S. European land forces chief General Carter Ham. General Ham said that joint exercises are an important part of the NATO collective defense strategy. "We are looking for additional possibilities of cooperation in this sphere. The next big U.S. troop exercise in Estonia is planned to take place in 2012," he said. Ham thanked the Estonian people for their military contribution in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A one-month-long campaign against excessive alcohol consumption has been launched in Estonia, reports LETA. The campaign, organized by the Health Development Institute and focused at people between the ages of 25-45 asks Estonians "How much do you drink?," most of whom don't even realize that they drink much more than is good for their health. The average Estonian drinks 12 liters of pure alcohol every year 's that would be five bottles of vodka or 40 bottles of beer. This amount is twice as much as is considered to be the maximum normal amount by WHO and it puts Estonia in 2nd place, after the Czech Republic, in Europe. The campaign, financed by the Estonian Social Fund, is the first such large-scale war against excessive drinking. Alongside the opening campaign notes, Estonian alcohol producers and retailers announced that they would create a Web page that urges people to consume alcohol in a responsible way.
