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| $150,000 |
Job Retraining and Language Acquisition Project in Northeastern Estonia |
| The United States government, in cooperation with the government of Norway, is contributing funds to provide job retraining and Estonian
language lessons to over 100 young non-Estonians in the northeast region, one of the regions in Estonia with the highest unemployment |
| $10,000 |
Training in Public Relations with Podesta.com |
| Three women from Estonia -- and additional participants from surrounding countries -- took part in a week-long survey of media and
public relations with one of the foremost political consultants in Washington |
| $75,000 |
Entrepreneurial Mentoring for Baltic and Russian Women |
| U.S. and Nordic businesswomen have been paired with approximately 50 Baltic and Russian counterparts to provide entrepreneurial
assistance to new business owners, ranging from internet support to financial advice. |
| $75,000 |
Combating Organized Crime |
| The U.S. government supported and co-sponsored with the government of Estonia a three-day conference on regional approaches to
combating organized crime in the Baltic area, drawing participants from the two other Baltic states, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Poland,
and Belarus, and focusing on cases of regional cooperation that have worked |
| $150,000 |
Fighting the Spread of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis |
| Right now, in Riga, research is being conducted at the newly-founded Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis Center to combat this
virulent strain of the disease in cooperation with the U.S.'s Center for Disease Control (CDC). The Tuberculosis Center's goal is to
ultimately draw on expertise from all of the Baltic states. In a related effort, the CDC is now creating a program to be seated in Estonia
to increase the effectiveness of nurses in TB treatment. |
| $100,000 |
Environmental Remediation |
| The U.S.'s Environmental Protection Agency has been active in Estonia and throughout the Baltic area in remediation projects. Some
highlights of their work in the area include an integrated watershed management program involving the Pärnu and Lielupe Rivers. In
addition, members of Estonia's Ministry of Defense have benefited from participation in environmental security programs to help
ameliorate the effects on the environment of the post-World War II era. Finally, the Estonian-Latvian-Russian watershed project called Three Tasks Three Rivers Three Countries, in which boundaries are being erased to deal with common environmental concerns, is being partially supported by the U.S. and Norwegian governments. |
| $7,000 |
Estonian-by-CD-ROM Project |
| The integration of its Russian-speaking minority into Estonian society is an important goal of the Estonian Government. In order to
foster that integration, the Non-Estonian Integration Foundation, the Estonian Ministry of Education, the U.S. Government, and one
of America's largest developers of IT-based educational products have joined together to create an attractive, up-to-date,
CD-ROM-based Estonian language teaching program. The CD-ROM will likely be geared to 7th to 9th graders and will be interactive. This feature will be especially
useful in areas of Estonia with a high concentration of Russian speakers and few ethnic Estonian language teachers. |
| $2,000 |
Travel of Estonian officials to Pskov |
| The U.S. Government underwrote the travel and lodging costs for a group of Estonian officials to travel to Pskov, Russia to participate in Estonia Day activities there. |
| $300,000 |
Agreement for Scientific and Technology Cooperation on Oil Shale Research and Utilization |
| The three-year program was signed by former Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson and Minister of Economic Affairs Mikhel Pärnoja on February 4, 2000. This agreement brings together major private investment and unique scientific and technical abilities to identify commercially-viable processes for producing high value products from Estonian and U.S. oil shale, and to carry out related research and development (R&D). Both countries have an interest in improving the utilization of their respective resources, both for commercial profit and energy independence. The market potential from Estonian oil shale derivatives could be of particular interest to investors, both from the U.S. and elsewhere.
|
| $588,000 |
Baltic-American Enterprise Fund |
| The Baltic-American Enterprise Fund is a private sector, not-for-profit corporation funded by U.S. Government public sector money through the Agency for International Development/USAID. It operates as an autonomous organization with a Board of Directors and an office in each of the three Baltic capitals. The mission of the Fund is to promote growth in the small- and medium-sized private enterprise sectors through cost-effective enterprise development assistance (loans, investments). In 1999, the Baltic-American Enterprise Fund invested in an Estonian furniture manufacturer, an auto dealership, and a credit services company. |
| $213,000 |
Baltic-American Partnership Program (BAPP) |
| The Baltic-American Partnership Program is funded by the Baltic-American Partnership Fund. The Fund's endowment of $15 million was provided through a U.S. Agency for International Development grant of $7.5 million and $7.5 million in matching funds from the Soros Foundation Open Society Institute. The purpose of the Fund is to provide long-term assistance -- over a 10-year period -- to all three Baltic democracies to support the development and sustainability of the non-governmental organization/NGO sector (civic organizations, advocacy groups, human rights groups, judicial/legal training organizations, philanthropic organizations, etc.). The Baltic-American Partnership Program in Estonia is designed and implemented by an Estonian Local Experts Committee (LEC). With a Year 2000 allocation of $426,000 ($213,000 from the U.S. Government), BAPP-Estonia supported programs fostering NGO-local government cooperation; provided support to municipalities for pilot programs for contracting-out social services to NGOs; worked to create mechanisms by which the "third sector" (non-governmental, not-for-profit sector) could have input into the drafting of legislation; fostered an understanding of third sector activities in the general public through support for Estonian- and Russian-language media programs (on radio and TV) and newspaper supplements. |
| $80,000 |
International Visitor Program |
| Each year, established or potential leaders in government, politics, journalism,
the arts, education, and other fields, are selected by U.S. Embassy committees
around the world to participate in three-week programs sponsored by the U.S.
Department of State. The men and women chosen to participate have the
opportunity of experiencing the U.S. firsthand and of meeting with American
professional counterparts. The programs are designed to promote mutual
understanding through personal and professional experiences while in the
United States. In 2000, 11 Estonians participated in the International Visitor
program.
The Estonian participants took part in a variety of group programs: a judge on a "Protection of Intellectual Property Rights" program; a member of the Riigikogu (Parliament) on a "U.S. Foreign Policy Challenges" program; a deputy police prefect on an "International Crime Issues" program; a Riigikogu member on an "Immigration and Refugee Issues" program; a theater director on a "Role of Theater in U.S. Society" program; etc. In 2001, approximately the same number of Estonians will participate in this program.
|
| $150,000 |
Fulbright Program |
| The Fulbright Program provides grants for study, research, and teaching for
graduate students, scholars and professionals, and primary- and
secondary-level teachers and administrators from the U.S. and other countries.
The Fulbright Program is the premier international educational exchange
program sponsored by the United States Government; it is administered by the
U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in
cooperation with private-sector organizations. In fiscal year 2000, five
Estonians (graduate students and scholars) were recipients of Fulbright
scholarships for study/research in the U.S.: a Tartu University physicist to Stanford University, a Tallinn Technical University specialist in materials science and engineering to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, a Tartu University molecular and cell biologist to Marshall University in West Virginia, and two Estonian graduate students to New York City to study law at Columbia University and New York University. In addition, two American high school teachers are participating in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program and teaching history and English at high schools in Tartu and Pärnu; their classes in America are being taught by Estonian teachers. (NOTE: the figure of $150,000
does not include the cost of sending five American graduate students and
scholars to Estonia.) |
| $45,000 |
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program |
| The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program brings accomplished mid-level
professionals to the United States for a year of study and professional
experience. Fellowships are awarded to candidates with a commitment to
public service in both the public and private sectors. Recipients work in a
variety of fields, ranging from urban and regional planning, to drug abuse
epidemiology, education, treatment and prevention. In 2000, one candidate
from Estonia was chosen for participation in this highly competitive program. |
| $16,000 |
Speakers and Specialists Program |
| In fiscal year 2000, speakers (i.e. specialists in their fields) have made
presentations to Estonian audiences -- usually professionals or students in a variety of fields. The Director of Columbia University's Center for New Media met with Estonian print and broadcast media journalists and editors, media experts, journalism students, and politicians to discuss the "globalization" of the media and the ways in which the "new media" (including online journalism) would affect information distribution, the economy, and politics; the Dean of the University of Louisville's School of Music was brought to Estonia, at the request of Estonian academic institutions, to share his expertise on fundraising in an EU-based program on adapting the academic world to new economic realities through public relations and fundraising activities; the Director of Columbia University's East Central European Center and the Harriman Institute taught a mini-seminar on "U.S. Foreign Policy and Foreign Policy Institutions" to students, and consulted with administrators on curriculum development at the Estonian School of Diplomacy; and, an American professor of theater arts taught a mini-course on "method acting" (developed by Lee Strasberg) at the Estonian Higher Theater School. |
| $8,000 |
Overseas Educational Advising |
| The U.S. Government helps to support educational advising centers which
provide students interested in studying in the U.S. with information and
guidance on U.S. institutions of higher education. The Estonian centers,
hosted by Tartu University and Tallinn Technical University, were provided
with educational advising collections (books, CD-ROMs) and funding for
U.S.-based training for their directors. |
| $20,000 |
Public Affairs Section Small Grants |
| The U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section has provided support for a variety of
NGO's, cultural organizations, and educational institutions in support of:
human rights activities; cultural exchange; the fostering of networking skills
in women's organizations; training in the field of diplomacy; the development
of American Studies at Estonian universities; environmental education, and civic
education. |
| $750,000 |
International Military Education and Training Program (IMET) |
| IMET is a grant program under which Estonian civil and military
personnel can attend professional training in the United States on
subjects requested by the Ministry of Defense (MOD), the Armed Forces
General Staff and the staff of the Border Guard. Training has included: the Command and General Staff Officer course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Public Affairs Officer course; Special Forces Operations Detachment Officer course; Air Traffic Control Operations course; Naval Staff College course; U.S. Marine Corps Officer course; International Maritime Officer course (U.S. Coast Guard); the Master's Degree course at the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California.The amount of this
educational grant in FY 2000 was 750,000 USD and the amount in FY
2001 is projected to be 800,000 USD. Although the number of
personnel trained varies based on the differing costs of requested
schools, in past years an annual average of 45 Estonian personnel with
defense-related responsibilities have attended these courses. |
| $4,700,000 |
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) |
| FMF (Foreign Military Financing) is a grant program under which the
Estonian Ministry of Defense can procure U.S. military goods (not weapons systems)
and services. The amount granted to Estonia in FY 2000 was 4.7
million USD and is projected to be 6.3 million USD in FY 2001. The
significant goods and services ordered in FY 2000 includes various
types of modern communications equipment, spare parts for U.S.
origin equipment in Estonia's inventory, and individual soldier
equipment. |
| $3,000,000 |
Excess Defense Articles (EDA) |
| EDA (Excess Defense Articles) are items (including weapons systems)
that have been classified as excess to U.S. military requirements.
Estonia is authorized to request EDA in
order to meet its legitimate self-defense requirements. In FY 2000
Estonia received approximately 3 million USD worth of excess
defense articles, such as 40,500 M14 rifles and 2 million rounds of ammunition for the M14s. |
| $250,000 |
Humanitarian Assistance (HA) |
| HA (Humanitarian Assistance) is a grant program designed to provide
assistance in renovation or construction of selected facilities that will
provide a marked increase in the quality of life for the surrounding
population but for which insufficient local funding is available. During
FY 2000 three facilities (two orphanages and a hospital) were assisted
with HA projects totaling 250,000 USD. Projects totaling
approximately the same amount are expected to be approved for
implementation in FY 2001. |
| $125,000 |
Humanitarian Assistance-Property (HAP) |
| HAP (Humanitarian Assistance-Property) is an EDA-like program
which allows Estonia (through the Ministry of Social Affairs) to request
various equipment and furniture which have been declared excess to U.S.
requirements, but which could be useful to hospitals or other
social-welfare oriented institutions. The equipment delivered to
Estonia in FY 2000 was valued at 125,000 USD. Most of this was
various medical equipment and furniture (donated to the Taagepera, Kohtla-Järve, and Diakoonia hosiptals) and an ambulance (donated to Kohtla-Järve Hospital). |
| $582,000 |
Warsaw Initiative Fund (WIF) programs |
|
The WIF (Warsaw Initiative Fund) is a bilateral U.S. assistance program created to help pay for Partner nation participation in Partnership for Peace (PfP) exercises and activities. The program pays a percentage of fuel, consumables, transportation, meals and official expenses for Estonian participation in PfP-related activities. Estonia was allocated $582,000 in WIF money during FY2000. FY2001 expenditures are projected to continue at current levels.
|
| $120,000 |
Estonians attending U.S. Service Academies |
|
The U.S. Defense Attaché in Estonia is responsible for selection of candidates to attend U.S. military academies. Only 15-20 foreign students from around the world are accepted in any given year at each U.S. service academy. Estonia currently has one cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, two midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and one cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. The average value of the education at any of the U.S. military academies is estimated at approximately $30,000 per year. The first Estonian cadets graduated in 1998. Estonia has six applicants for admittance to U.S. service academies in 2001.
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Marshall Center |
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Founded on June 5, 1993, The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies is dedicated to stabilizing and thereby strengthening Post-Cold War Europe. Specifically, it aids defense and foreign ministries in Europe's aspiring democracies to develop national security organizations and systems that reflect democratic principles. To this end, the Center:
- provides instruction in national security affairs to Europe's senior defense officials;
- conducts research on European security issues;
- holds conferences on those issues;
- conducts specialized regional studies and language training courses.
Named for the architect of The Marshall Plan, the Center has been founded on the assumptions that even peaceful, democratic governments require effective national defenses; that regional stability will be enhanced when legitimate defense requirements are planned and organized within the framework of democratic governance; that a network of compatible democratic security structures will enhance the continent's prospects for harmony and stability.
To date, Estonia has 30 graduates of the Marshall Center. Courses of study last 5 months and are offered twice per year, in addition to shorter courses and conferences. Key topics include civil-military relations and the military in a democratic society.
Since 1994, when Estonia first participated in the program, at least two Estonians have attended Marshall Center courses annually.
The Marshall Center was chartered by the Secretary of Defense and is funded by the U.S. Congress. Located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Upper Bavaria, it enjoys the generous support of the German Government and its Ministry of Defense. The Marshall Center is an element of the United States European Command (USEUCOM) whose mission, since its establishment, has been to support U.S. national interests throughout its area of responsibility, and to provide combat-ready land, maritime, and air forces to NATO. With the creation of the Marshall Center, the Secretary of Defense has given the Commander-in-Chief, USEUCOM, a new mission and new resources to promote defense cooperation and partnership in the post-Cold War strategic environment.
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The Military Liaison Team conducts "familiarization" programs with the Estonian Defense Forces, the Estonian Defense League, the Border Guard, and the Rescue Board. Familiarization is accomplished through lectures -- for events that take place in Estonia -- and through lectures and site visits for events that take place outside Estonia (elsewhere in the U.S. European Command area or in the United States).
| $78,700 |
Develop programs to promote positive Civil-Military relations. |
- Familiarize the Border Guard in the process of developing a
Command and Control (C2) system for land and sea rescue in major
disasters.
- Familiarize the Estonian Border Guard and Air Force with an
operations plan to coordinate the use of civilian and military aircraft
in the event of a major disaster.
- Familiarize the Estonian Defense League, Border Guard, and
Rescue Board with a process to develop cooperative agreements to
delineate responsibilities in the event of a major disaster.
- Familiarize the Estonian Rescue Board with a process for
developing operating plans to coordinate response activities to a Nuclear/Biological/Chemical (NBC) terrorist attack.
- Familiarize the Estonian Rescue Board with a process for designing
a plan to coordinate civilian/military cooperation in humanitarian
operations.
|
| $31,700 |
Develop a Public Affairs Program |
| Familiarize the Ministry of Defense (MOD)- and Estonian Defense Forces/EDF-level Public Affairs (PA) officers with U.S. Department of Defense/Public Affairs operations, organizational structure, and legal considerations. |
| $12,800 |
Increase respect for human dignity and individual rights of
service members. |
| Familiarize the Estonian Air Force with the U.S. Navy Aviation Safety
Center and its operation in investigating air and ground mishaps. |
| $23,900 |
Establish a Professional Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Corps. |
| Familiarize the Estonian General Staff G1 (Personnel and Administration) with a process for
developing standards for the development of a formal promotion
process for the NCO corps. [Note: a "noncommsssioned officer" is a subordinate officer, for example a sergeant, appointed from among the enlisted men and women.] |
| $17,800 |
Establish a Professional Officer Corps. |
- Familiarize the Estonian Defense Forces/G3 (Operations/Training) with the processes needed to
develop an officer education system at all levels.
- Familiarize the Estonian Battalion Staff G3s with how to develop a
Staff Officer Development Program for the Estonian Defense
League.
- Develop and publish the standards for development of a formal
promotion process for the officer corps.
|
| $48,500 |
Establish standardized military training and education
institutions. |
| Familiarize the Estonian Navy G3 staff with how to establish a training
program for Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) operations/training. |
| $63,600 |
Establish Basic Interoperability of Estonian Armed Forces with
U.S./NATO |
- Develop tactics, techniques and procedures (TT&P) for the Air
Force and the Border Guard Air Component to facilitate U.S./NATO
interoperability.
- Establish Air Force navigation systems/rules that meet U.S./NATO
standards.
- Familiarize the Estonian Air Force G3 with a process to develop a
syllabus for training Estonian Air Force helicopter pilots to meet
U.S./NATO interoperability standards.
- Familiarize the Border Guard and Border Guard Aviation Group
with the processes to develop a plan to incorporate U.S./NATO
interoperability standards in emergency operations.
|
| $34,300 |
Establish C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence) interoperability that meets U.S./NATO standards. |
| Implement a plan for communications interoperability to meet
U.S./NATO standards. |
| $54,200 |
Develop Doctrine to Interface with U.S./NATO members in
contingencies |
| Develop fundamental principles by which the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) guide their actions
in support of national objectives and are interoperable with U.S./NATO.
Implement a plan to develop an organizational structure for the
Estonian Defense Force reserve component forces similar to
U.S./NATO organizations. |
| $27,300 |
Establish Military Medical Capabilities within U.S./NATO
standards |
| Implement a Program of Instruction (POI) for conduct of Combat Life
Saver instruction at the Platoon Level.
Help to establish military medical requirements meeting U.S./NATO standards. |
| $250,000 |
Seminars and training sessions sponsored by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation
All of the seminars and training sessions were one-week programs discussing
the areas noted, with officers from each of the Baltic Republics participating.
The programs helped to foster inter-Baltic cooperation among the law
enforcement agencies investigating specific types of criminal activity, as well
as enhanced U.S.-Baltic cooperation.
The FBI, in cooperation with the Department of Defense, conducted Weapons
of Mass Destruction Workshops for Estonia and Latvia at the International
Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary for members of Parliament,
Ministry officials and Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Groups.
This will be followed by follow-up training in each country in FY 2001. The
expenses for the programs noted below were in excess of $650,000 for all
Baltic States, about $250,000 for Estonia for the year 2000, with similar funding
anticipated for FY-2001.
- High Technology White Collar Crime Seminar Quantico, Virginia March
2000.
- Interview and Interrogation Seminar Vilnius, Lithuania April 2000
- Undercover Operations Seminar Vilnius, Lithuania May 2000
- Confidential Source Development Seminar Vilnius, Lithuania May 2000
- Organized Crime Initiatives with Ministry of the Interior Regional
FBI/NEI Seminar Tallinn, Estonia May 2000
- DNA Analysis Training Tallinn, Estonia June 2000
- Auto Theft Seminar and Training Riga, Latvia, June 2000
- Post-Blast Investigation Training Quantico, Virginia July 2000
- Practical Case Training Initiative at Newark Division, July 2000
- Computer Crimes Seminar Bern, Switzerland September 2000
- Internal Controls/Anti-Corruption Seminar Riga, Latvia, October 2000
- Crisis Management Seminar Vilnius, Lithuania November 2000
- Computer Crimes Seminar Riga, Latvia December 2000
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Law Enforcement Training |
| The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) contributed funding support for "Post-Blast Investigation" training for 15 Estonian police and Rescue Board officers. |
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