NATO member Estonia has announced a commitment of €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) for long-range ammunition, planning to allocate a significant portion—25%—of its military budget to ammunition in the coming years.
Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated in a recent release, “Ammunition will be the main focus of the defence budget in the coming years.” He emphasized the need for increased ammunition stockpiles to enhance the Estonian Defence Forces’ capability to deter adversaries, particularly given the current security challenges posed by Russia, which shares an eastern border with Estonia. “Of course, the Estonian Defence Forces are always ready to defend the Estonian people and the state without delay, but we still need more stocks of ammunition, among other things, to affect the adversary in its own territory,” Pevkur added.
The allocated €1.6 billion will be spent over the next several years, with a timeline extending until 2031, as indicated by the State Budget Strategy approved by lawmakers earlier this week. Pevkur highlighted that the heightened security situation—likely referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its aggressive posturing regarding NATO’s support for Kyiv—obligates Estonia to enhance its national defense capabilities.
Estonia is already managing €1.9 billion worth of contracts for ammunition previously planned and intends to initiate further tenders to replenish its ammunition reserves as quickly as possible.
In total, Estonia is projected to spend 3.3% of its GDP on defense over the next four years, significantly exceeding NATO’s required 2% benchmark, positioning Estonia as one of the top spenders in terms of defense relative to its total budget, second only to Poland.
The Estonian Ministry of Defence also outlined several key pending acquisitions, including the country’s first High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a new loitering munitions “battery,” and German Iris-T medium-range air defense systems, all expected to be operational by 2025.
