The Estonian government has proposed amendments that would extend the period of mandatory military service to 12 months for all conscripts as of 2027, ERR reports. Currently, those who start their military service in the beginning of the year serve for 11 months, while those who start in autumn serve for 8 months. The Ministry…
Latvia’s Ministry of Defence has announced details on its planned spending under the government’s defence budget in 2026, LSM reports. Latvia will spend a total of EUR 2.158bn on defence in 2026, which will be 4.91% of the estimated annual GDP. Altogether EUR 1.14bn (53%) of the defence budget will go to buy new military…
The US Congress has approved an increase in the maximum number of HIMARS systems and related munitions that can be sold to Estonia, BNS reports. According to Vanguard Intel Group, the US has raised the sales cap from EUR 500mn to EUR 4.73bn. This would allow Estonia to buy an additional 12 HIMARS launchers, 200…
Latvia’s National Armed Forces (NBS) intends to recruit an additional 500 professional soldiers, Baltic News Network reports. NBS plans to recruit altogether 8,000 professional soldiers over 2025. The Defence Ministry has allocated up to EUR 7.7mn of state budget funds for military staff salaries in 2025. Another EUR 6.5mn will be needed in 2026. The…
Lithuania should withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas stated, BNS reports. He expects the Defence Ministry and Foreign Ministry to resolve the issue. Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that the goal was to have a regional solution. Earlier, she said that military advice would be the key element in…
Estonia’s Defence Ministry sees no need to halt the development of wind farms off the Estonian coast, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reports. He insisted that air and maritime surveillance issues related to offshore wind farm projects were manageable. Pevkur assured that concerns expressed by the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) over the negative impact…
The defence ministers of the three Baltic States met with a high official of Poland’s Defence Ministry in Latvia’s Daugavpils to discuss the strengthening of regional defence infrastructure, LSM reports. Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds stressed the importance of implementing NATO decisions to strengthen the defence of the alliance’s eastern flank, including regional air-defence capabilities….
The crash of a Russian attack drone in eastern Latvia on 7 September 2024 has raised concerns about the ability of Baltic air defence systems to protect civilians from unexpected aerial threats, The Baltic Sentinel reports. Critics questioned why the drone, which was equipped with explosives, was not shot down but was instead allowed to…
An unidentified flying object crossed into Latvian airspace in Kraslava municipality from neighbouring Belarus in the morning of 17 September 2024, the Ministry of Defence announced, LETA reports. NATO fighter jets were scrambled from the Lielvarde air base, but no suspicious objects were found in Latvian airspace. Earlier, a Russian military attack drone crashed in…