April 15, Tallinn – A delegation of U.S. Senators, including Florida Senator Rick Scott and Utah Senator Mike Lee, visited Estonia from April 14-15. They met with U.S. troops stationed at Task Force Võit and held discussions with Estonian officials, including Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov, and Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Marko Mihkelson.
At Tapa Army Base, the Senators engaged with the Estonian 1st Brigade Commander and U.S. servicemembers who are part of Task Force Võit. This unit is focused on enhancing skill development and interoperability related to the U.S. HIMARS long-range precision fire system. Discussions revolved around joint training on HIMARS systems and the anticipated delivery of Estonia's launchers by the end of April. The Senators expressed gratitude to U.S. servicemembers for their contributions on NATO’s eastern flank.
In meetings with Estonian officials, the Senators recognized Estonia's role as one of only four NATO Allies to support the call by President Trump to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP for Transatlantic security. Economic cooperation was also a key topic, emphasizing existing collaboration in the technology and energy sectors and exploring new opportunities in critical minerals mining and processing.
Senator Scott serves as the Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and is also a member of several other committees, including Armed Services, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Budget, and Foreign Relations. Senator Lee is the Chair of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and a member of the Judiciary, Foreign Relations, and Budget Committees.