Estonian defense minister informed of €1.6B ammo shortage last year already
Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) was informed last April already of the fact that Estonia is €1.6 billion short of minimum requirements for ammunition stocks under NATO defense plans, Estonian online news portal Delfi writes.
Last April, NATO finalized regional defense plans for ensuring the security of its eastern flank, including the defense of the Baltic states in such a way as to prevent any incursion by Russian forces into their territory altogether.
According to Delfi's information (link in Estonian), a Defense Ministry meeting was held a few days later where the minister was given a more detailed overview of the updated regional plan, and likewise discussed was the fact that Estonia was at least €1.6 billion worth short of ammunition stocks.
In other words, €1.6 billion is the minimum that would be needed for Estonia to meet its obligations under the new NATO plans. It was decided to take note of the presented overview and preliminary estimates.
NATO's new defense plans received final approval at the 2023 Vilnius Summit last July 11-12, and the defense minister was likewise briefed immediately prior to the summit.
Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur announced Friday that he received calculations suitable for requesting money for ammunition within the government from the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) on June 1 this year, and intends to submit them to the government in the near future.
Asked why the issue is only just now reaching the government when the need was already known last April, Pevkur replied that he could only proceed based on what was sent by the commander of the EDF, and that the calculations based on which it will be possible to hold further discussions in the government as well arrived on June 1.
He has yet to respond to an additional question about why the minister didn't demand these calculations from the EDF chief sooner.
According to the defense minister, NATO's defense plans and the need for additional ammunition do not fully overlap.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Ministry of Defense Permanent Secretary Kusti Salm is stepping down from his post. Salm cited his failure to convince the Estonian government of the need for defense investments as one reason for his resignation.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Karin Koppel, Aili Vahtla
