Defense spending amounting to 2 percent of Estonia's gross domestic product is an absolute necessity, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said on Friday.
Estonian PM: Two percent of GDP for national defense is imperative
18th May 2013, 14:04
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The prime minister who visited the Spring Storm exercise of the defense forces said that 2 percent was Estonia's pledge to NATO allies but that stable financing of national defense is much more important to ourselves, spokespeople for the government said. "National defense has to be dealt with every day - all the time," Ansip said.
In his words Spring Storm, the largest annual exercise, is a good example of the development of Estonia's defense.
Defense chief Maj. Gen. Riho Terras and Col. Artur Tiganik, the commanding officer of Spring Storm, briefed the head of government about the previous course of the exercise that started on May 9. Ansip visited also the headquarters of the 1st Infantry Brigade.
The war games are mostly conducted in the territory of the defense forces' central training ground on the border of Harju and West-Viru counties. On May 21-23 the participating units will move from the central training ground into the territory of the Anija rural municipality via the municipalities of Tapa, Albu and Aegviidu. The active phase of the exercise will end with a counter-attack in the region between the Soodla reservoir and the Tallinn-Narva road in the Kuusalu municipality on May 24.
In addition to land forces, the Navy and allied troops from Britain, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are participating in this year's edition of Spring Storm. The exercise will end with a line-up at the Kuusalu stadium on May 25.