Estonia's Defense Minister Martin Herem has stated that the country must expand its defense capabilities quickly, despite the potential risks and challenges associated with maintaining them. This decision is driven by the threat posed by Russia.
What happened
Herem's comments come in response to concerns raised by security expert Meelis Oidsalu, who argued that Estonia's military defense development plan may be overly ambitious and fail to account for long-term maintenance costs. Herem acknowledged that Oidsalu's concerns are partly justified but emphasized that the risk is necessary due to the current geopolitical situation.
Herem explained that the key issue is not the affordability of the costs but rather how the acquired capabilities will be maintained and what trade-offs may be required. He suggested that one way to make maintenance more affordable is to limit the use of equipment, such as imposing mileage limits on tanks.
Herem recently presented proposals for additions to the national defense development plan, which are based on new knowledge acquired by the Estonian Defense Forces. The proposals aim to incorporate lessons learned from Ukraine, particularly with regards to air defense requirements and intelligence capabilities.
