National Defense Needs Covenant, Says Commander-in-Chief
Speaking at the Independence Day parade, Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Ants Laaneots reminded guests of Estonia's geopolitical status as a NATO- and EU frontier, which makes developing an independent defense capacity as vital as strong alliances and the efficiency of collective defense.
"As a small nation, Estonia needs to use all means available to the state to improve its capacity to deter and defend, acting both internally and internationally," he said.
Estonia's strategy does not only rely on the Defence Forces but also on the common effort of the state and its people, Laaneots said. The current defense model, which has justified itself, should not hinge on adventurous election campaign promises. He called for a supra-party covenant instead which would guarantee stable national defense funding for the next 10 to 15 years, similar to the Scandinavian practice.
"Continuity is vital for developing national defense. Emotional decisions taken in order to gain short-term victories may bring down the whole edifice," he said.