In a year-end interview with Postimehe, Chancellor of the Ministry of Defense Kusti Salm said that the past year was the best year for the development of national defense. “The Estonian defense force has increased by almost half. At the beginning of the year we had 26,000 fighters, today there are 44,000 highly motivated soldiers, organized into equipped and armed units,” he says, adding that we have also acquired new defense systems weapon However, it is clear that there are still shortcomings, for example in the field of air defense or coastal defense.
Of course it can always be said that one is never fully prepared for war. In the event of war it is not always possible to say exactly what type of armament is needed: who would have thought that artillery has meanwhile played a decisive role in the war in Ukraine in the 21st century.
But being prepared is better than doing nothing. Strengthening Estonia’s defense capacity serves several purposes. First of all, obviously, to guarantee our future, because we want to live freely in the future too. Strengthening defense capacity also increases the unity of the nation, as evidenced by the continued popularity of the Defense League and confidence in it. Increasing the defense forces by almost half shows how the country and the people can join forces when necessary. The times when no money was allocated for the orchestra of the defense forces are irrevocably over.
But Estonia has no choice but to continue the path already started, that is, to further increase its defense capabilities and convince its allies of the need to help Ukraine.
Secondly, of course, deterrence: Russia sees that to the west of it it is not watching, but is carefully preparing. This is despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent statement that it is not in Russia’s interest to start a war with NATO countries.
2023-12-18 19:26:00
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