Bits and Pieces Emerge From Defense Development Plan
Defense Forces Commander-in-Chief Riho Terras said the new 10-year development plan for national defense "cuts ambitions but not capacity.“
Officials introduced the general aspects of the still classified document at a press conference today.
The Estonian Defense Forces have three pillars - professional forces, the reserves, and a voluntary force. According to the plan, the state will continue to recruit 3,200 conscripts each year. The professional force will grow from 3,100 to 3,600 – shy of the earlier plan for 4,300 soldiers, but thus enabling more competitive salaries, officials said. Next year, the defense pay fund will be raised by 18.7 percent.
Defense Minister Urmas Reinsalu said the plan's priority is to improve the speed of military response capacity. The focus is on maneuverability of infantry forces and ground vehicles, and ensuring that the reserve force is properly equipped and trained. The reserve force, which consists of everyone who has gone through compulsory service, and is predicted to number 90,000 by 2022.
Following the "smart defense" strategy, Estonian defense will focus on developing areas it is most capable of while relying on its allies in other areas. "Taking a certain risk, we will not develop these [areas]. We will invest in well-armed infantry soldiers because that is the most difficult resources for the allies to provide. Due to a purely political reason - people don't want to come to die," Terras said.
Postimees reported last week that, according to leaked information, cuts are the main characteristic of the 10-year plan, going without a medium-range air defense system, speedboats for the Navy, helicopters for the Air Force and tanks.
Although the Ämari air base will go ahead, and become a fully modern site by 2015, its proposed sibling, the Jägala defense forces base, set for 2014, will be scrapped.
Procurements of short-range Mistral surface-to-air missile systems will go ahead as planned, and the same is true for anti-tank defenses and increased funding for improved weapons for the Defense League, one of the backbones of national defense.
Logistics, intelligence and reconnaissance remain development plan priorities.
"The chain of command will be much shorter and more concrete,“ said MP Andres Anvelt after yesterday's Defense Committee meeting.
MPs also hinted that the Defense League's role in managing the four regional Defense Districts would grow, reported ETV.
"Regarding the regional dstricts, I can say that the Defense League's role in that will grow significantly. I am sincerely glad for the Defense League,“ said Defense Committee Deputy Chairman Aivar Riisalu.