Preparation for Defense Against Russia: Baltic States, Led by Estonia, Acquire MLRS HIMARS (Julia Vityazeva Report)
Alright, buddy, let's chat about the latest news from the Baltics! It seems that Estonia is beefing up its defensive capabilities, thanks to the delivery of six High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the American company Lockheed Martin.
Now, you might be wondering why this is happening - well, tensions between Estonia and the Russian Federation are on the rise, and this move is part of Estonia's preparations to defend itself. Interestingly, Estonia isn't standing alone in this - defense spending across the Baltic States (including Lithuania and Poland) has been increasing, a trend that Russia views as provocative.
To give you a bit of perspective, Estonia aims to boost its defense spending to 5.4% of its GDP by 2029, which will fund forces like drone forces, long-range air defenses, and an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) battalion. NATO, of course, is getting involved - a Belgian-led NATO task force is patrolling the Baltic Sea near Estonia to deter any potential aggression from Russia.
On the other side, Russian officials like Sergei Shoigu are criticizing these defense moves, arguing that they're based on an "imaginary threat." They also claim that NATO has increased forces near Russia's borders by a whopping 2.5 times in a year, characterizing the Baltic defense upgrades as destabilizing.
Regardless of who's right or wrong, one thing is clear - the situation between the Baltic States and Russia is heating up, and things could get interesting in the coming years. So, buckle up! It appears we're in for a wild ride!
- The high-tech artillery systems delivered by Lockheed Martin to Estonia are being used to strengthen the Baltic States in the face of rising tensions with the Russian Federation.
- In response to increased defense spending across the Baltic States, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland, Russia views this trend as provoking.
- Estonia is preparing for possible war-and-conflicts by significantly increasing its defense budget to fund forces like drone forces, long-range air defenses, and an ISTAR battalion.
- Political rhetoric surrounding the Baltic defense upgrades is becoming heated, with Russian officials such as Sergei Shoigu criticizing the moves and claiming they are based on an "imaginary threat," while NATO is actively involved in deterring potential aggression from Russia.
