The United States Congress has passed a USD 1.5 trillion budget package that includes USD 180 million in security assistance for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 2022, under the Baltic Security Initiative, an increase of more than USD 10 million over last year.
“The United States has demonstrated clear initiative in the current security crisis, both in supporting its NATO Allies in the East, as well as Ukraine, and in bringing the actions of Russia to the attention of the international community. The decision by Congress shows that the United States is committed to the defense of our region and clearly understands that the defense of their own country connected with the Baltic countries,” Minister of Defense of Estonia, Mr. Kalle Laanet said.
“The US commitment to Article 5 is ironclad. At the same time, Article 3 is important for the United States, according to which the Allies must contribute consistently to the development of their own defense capabilities to strengthen collective defense. We have decided to exceptionally increase our funding for national defense by EUR 380 million, and discussions on additional funding are ongoing,” Laanet added.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Eva-Maria Liimets also welcomed the US decision. “During the current security crisis, the bipartisan decision of the United States Congress to increase security assistance to the Baltic countries is of special and also significant importance. This is a practical demonstration of US commitment to the defense of our region,” stressed the Foreign Minister.
US security assistance to Estonia has been significant over the years and has grown steadily. Established in 2020, the Baltic Security Initiative allows the United States to more systematically support the development of independent defense capabilities and interoperability between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, by more clearly highlighting the security concerns of the Baltic region in US legislation. Last year, the initiative allocated USD 169 million to the Baltic countries. Thanks to US security assistance, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been able to implement several of their military infrastructure and capacity building projects ahead of schedule. The main focus has been in the areas of special operations, air defense, ammunition, and maritime situational awareness. As a new priority, the Baltic countries want to jointly develop a long-range indirect fire capability with US support.
In addition to US security assistance, the presence of the US military in the Baltic Sea region has also increased significantly. US reinforcement of our region as a whole includes F-35 fighters, AH-64 attack helicopters, Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and the deployment of ground forces to the Baltic Sea region. Shortly after the intensification of hostilities in Ukraine, three US F-35 stealth fighters and other aircraft arrived at Ämari Air Base. The US-led exercise Saber Strike is also currently taking place in the Baltic countries and includes air defense training exercises. In addition, there are US Special Forces serving in Estonia.
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