On 17 August 1940, after Estonia was occupied by the Soviets, the 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps of the Red Army was formed at Tallinn.

The first commander of the 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps was a former major general of the Estonian army, Gustav Jonson, who was later arrested by the NKVD and shot.

Many of the Estonian officers of the 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps body were arrested and died in 1941 and 1942 in camps in the Soviet Union; many were shot.

The former commander of the 180th Rifle Division, 22nd Corps, Richard Tomberg, survived after dismissal only because from 1942 He was claimed by the Frunze Military Academy as a teacher.

Some officers of the 22nd Rifle Corps, among them Alfons Rebane, managed to escape from the authorities in the period between dismissal from the army and the plan for their arrest.

The 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps was part of the 'operational army' during World War II from 22 June 1941 to 31 August 1941.

A fire and maneuver team (lahingpaar) is a small Estonian military unit led by a soldier that is subordinate to an infantry fireteam.

The fire and maneuver team is the smallest military formation among the Estonian Ground Force infantry units.

A fireteam (pooljagu) is a small military unit led by a senior soldier that is subordinate to an infantry squad.

A fireteam is one of the smallest military formation among the Estonian Ground Force infantry units.

A squad (jagu) is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer (NCO) that is subordinate to an infantry platoon.

A squad is one of the smallest military formation among the Estonian Ground Force infantry units.

[7] A platoon (rühm) is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer (NCO) that is subordinate to an infantry company.

A platoon is one of the smallest military formations among the Estonian Ground Force infantry units.

[7] A company (Kompanii) is a medium military unit led by a junior officer that is subordinate to an infantry battalion.

A company is one of the most basic military formation among the Estonian Ground Force infantry units.

[7] A battalion (Pataljon) is an average military unit led by a senior officer that is subordinate to an infantry brigade.

[7] A regional unit (malev) is a county milita led by a senior officer that is subordinate to an infantry division.

[6] A modern malev is typically composed of three to five companies or battalions, depending on the area and available manpower of a given county.

A division (diviis) is a large military unit led by a general that is subordinate to a corps (korpus).

[17] Some units are supplemented with a variety of specialized weapons, including the Galil-ARM and Negev light machine gun, to provide suppressive fire at the fire-team level.

[25] At higher echelon, infantry battalions are supported by a section of 120 mm (4.7 in) M-41D and 2B11 mortars,[25] which are usually employed by motorized units.

Some motorized units are supported by Pvpj 1110 and M40-A1 recoilless rifles that are mounted on high-mobility utility vehicles.

The purchase of the 127 mm (5.0 in) FGM-148 Javelin fire-and-forget anti-tank missiles increased the ground forces' anti-armor units capabilities.

The Estonian Ministry of Defence has indicated a need to obtain main battle tanks by 2020 according to the national defense development plan.

The Pasi XA-180's, which were acquired first, have been used by the defense forces' expeditionary units on peacekeeping operations in Central Asia and Africa.

[34] The Estonian Ministry of Defence has signed contracts for the procurement of 36 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers from South Korea, 18 of which had been delivered by December 2022, with the rest scheduled to arrive by 2026 at the latest.

In 2014, the Estonian Ministry of Defence announced that Estonia, along with 12 other NATO members, plans to purchase Global Hawk drones to increase its military reconnaissance capabilities.

The ESTDCU, is the Estonian version of the digital camouflage uniform and its various patterns are designed for use in woodland, desert, urban, and winter warfare environments.

[40] Soldiers of Estonian Land Force get the PASGT combat helmet, a ballistic vest, and a night vision device.