Leaders stress defense capabilities over percentages as 5% GDP spending planned

Estonia aims to increase defense spending to 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2026, prioritizing critical capabilities such as ammunition while balancing delivery challenges and budget constraints.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) announced the spending hike, which would provide an additional €600 million annually, roughly half of the current defense budget.
However, political and defense leaders have urged a focus on military needs over pure percentages alone, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
Magnus-Valdemar Saar, head of the State Defense Investment Center (RKIK), stressed the importance of accelerating the existing national defense development plan, saying: "The Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) certainly have a clear grasp of where their next capability gaps are and what they want to address."
Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu cautioned against fixating on the 5 percent target, reiterating statements he had made recently.

He said: "Military advice must be implemented based on what the critical capability needs are."
As for concrete acquisitions, Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has called for immediate ammunition procurement, suggesting that could be done by 2027 instead of 2031. "We know that the navy needs to replace its vessels."
"We could immediately procure more ammunition, and I think that should be one of the critical priorities for immediate funding," Pevkur told Aktuaalne kaamera.
Former EDF commander Gen. Martin Herem noted that while cheaper options like First-person view (FPV) drones are available, they may have less effectiveness than costlier systems such as smart artillery shells.
Herem said: "Cheaper options likely come with lower effectiveness. For example, FPV drones today have about 20 percent effectiveness — only one out of five reaches its target."

The government is also seeking to adjust the Maastricht criteria on spending, to accommodate increased defense spending.
Reinsalu said: "I believe this logic can be rationally argued. At the moment, Estonia has not put forward such proposals."
The Isamaa leader also criticized the delay in addressing defense needs, particularly in light of ongoing ammunition shortages. "I think this is poor leadership," he said, noting that the military's needs were known well in advance of the prime minister's recent announcement.
Estonia also faces logistical challenges in acquiring complex systems like the U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile defense system, which could require setting aside additional funds for at least three years.
Saar remained optimistic that progress could still be made, particularly for systems like loitering air munitions, which can be procured more quickly. "We are currently conducting a framework procurement for loitering air munitions worth €600 million, so we could move forward very quickly," Saar said.

With the change in U.S. administration, the focus in relation to Ukraine and regional defense is shifting to the EU itself, where a defense white paper is being drafted to propose solutions for strengthening security across the continent. "We need to do our part, and that is clearly outlined in the Defense Forces commander's military advice," said Herem, also stressing the importance of NATO here.
Reinsalu added that defense needs must be triaged, as delays would result in the loss of necessary capabilities, but he was careful not to lay culpability solely at the door of the current Reform-SDE-Eesti 200 government, saying: "We shouldn't solely blame the current coalition. With every plan, some capabilities, all of which are necessary, fall below the line and remain unfunded."
Estonia, as with the other NATO eastern flank countries, where the need is seen as more pressing, has called for other NATO member states to raise their annual defense spending above current levels and at least to 3 percent of GDP.
Russia's defense spending is now over 6 percent of GDP per year in the wake of setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine, now nearly into its fourth year.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: 'AK.Nädal,' reporter Maria-Ann Rohemäe.