Lithuania procured Boxer 8x8s in the Vilkas programme but it wants to acquire even more IFVs. (Photo: Lithuanian MoD)
The Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are following a broader European trend of increased defence expenditure since the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
Latvia is poised to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025 while parliament in neighbouring Lithuania approved a plan to raise defence spending above 2.5% of GDP, compared with 2.05% or €1.2 billion ($1.31 billion) previously.
On 20 January, even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced that €380 million more will be allocated for defence ‘in the next years’ in order to increase
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The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
Future operational superiority will be defined by the ability to connect systems, data and personnel into a wider network. For armed forces, this creates the need for a digital backbone that integrates and enhances sensors and effectors of all kinds.
Estonian-made equipment is being put through the toughest of evaluations in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers resisting the full-scale Russian invasion which began in 2022. The country has long seen the threat and is continuing to adapt for the future.
Estonia is looking to boost its local defence industry with directed funding, industry parks, support through international orders for equipment and rapid prototyping.
The UK has recently deployed a Type 45 destroyer to Cyprus and has bolstered its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks with supporting air power to protect neighbouring countries’ air defences.
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