HIMARS came to the forefront so far as the public goes in the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, when its battlefield efficacy has been proven, not least when armed with the longer-range MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

Another 18 different mobile artillery pieces, nearly 200 armored vehicles, the Iris-T medium-range air defense system, and various surveillance systems will arrive in Estonia in 2025 also.

Increased military spending and ongoing support for Ukraine will continue too.

Estonia's defense budget last year was €1.34 billion, or 3.4 percent of GDP, making it second among NATO countries, the minister noted, and far higher than the recommended 2-2.5 percent of GDP per annum.

Speaking at a Ministry of Defense briefing held on Friday, Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said the HIMARS handover in the U.S. will take place in a couple of weeks' time for an arrival in-country of the systems this year.

American military personnel based in Estonia have already provided training to Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) members on the use of HIMARS.

Additionally, six more South Korean-made K9 "Thunder" self-propelled howitzers are to arrive in Estonia this year, bringing the number of these systems across the EDF to 18, the defense minister said.

Estonia will receive around €700 million worth of ammunition this year, Pevkur added.

Pevkur also highlighted that this year, Estonia will add the medium-range air defense system Iris-T to its arsenal, and the EDF's 2nd Brigade will receive new armored vehicles — a total of 220, most of which will arrive this year.

Estonia will also be getting six Caesar self-propelled howitzers from France, plus 12 Piorun short-range air defense systems from Poland by year-end.

The EDF has also acquired Blue Spear 5G naval missile systems, which relates to another central plank in current Estonian military defense doctrine, that of coastal defense.

Pevkur noted Estonia has provided €500 million in aid to Ukraine, including via the EU's one million shells initiative.

A new aid package for Ukraine is to amount to €100 million, with further support to be announced soon.

Pevkur emphasized that defense spending should be at least 3 percent of GDP over the next 20 years to meet NATO capability goals.

The total cost of vehicle and ammunition upgrades will come to €4-€4.5 billion over the next decade, with €1.1 billion already committed.

Estonia's military vehicle renewal and infrastructure improvements, including Ämari Air Base upgrades, will continue also, via a €700 million investment.

Ämari, west of Tallinn, hosts the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission.

Pevkur stressed that these defense spending increases are essential, including the focus on long-term procurement plans, with ammunition and vehicle fleet expansions an integral part of that.

In the rest of the press conference, the minister highlighted plans to accelerate the establishment of the planned defense industrial park by 2026, addressed upcoming military exercises and the apparent declining fitness of some conscripts, and underscored key defense priorities for the year, including the NATO summit and conscription reform.

ATACMS has a range close to 300 kilometers, compared with the 70-kilometer range for the regular HIMARS-launched GMLRS missiles.

On the Ukraine fronts, this has the effect of pushing invading Russian forces' centers of operation further back inside Russian territory, rather than in occupied Ukrainian lands.

The incoming US president may well scrutinize the extent to which NATO and its constituent member states pay their way.

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