EDITORIAL ⟩ Kristen Michal's promise to the Estonian people

Cartoon of the day. January 23, 2025. Hi-ho, Karlsson! Mind teaching us Estonians your drone skills? Photo: Urmas Nemvalts

• We need to address three key issues right away: air defense, ammunition, and precision munitions.
• Doing only half of what we need to do by 2029 is definitely too slow.
• We also have a fourth capability gap that has not been discussed enough publicly.

Postimees agrees with Prime Minister Kristen Michal, who believes that the country should aim for 5 percent of the GDP in defense spending. However, we also agree with Meelis Oidsalu, editor of our «Power and Security» segment of Fookus, who argues that we should not get caught up in the numbers. If necessary, we must be prepared to spend more to close the existing capability gaps in the defense forces, which have been pointed out by defense chiefs Martin Herem and Andrus Merilo.

These capability gaps are well known and not a state secret. To put it simply, we need to address three key issues right away. Firstly, we need air defense, which is currently almost nonexistent. Secondly, we need more ammunition, as the experience in Ukraine shows that it is consumed at an enormous rate. Thirdly, as a crucial element of deterrence, we need more precision munitions capable of reaching deep into Russian territory, the usefulness of which has also been demonstrated by the war in Ukraine.

As we remember, last summer the commander of the defense forces proposed that closing these key gaps would require an additional 1.6 billion euros. The government has come up with about 800 million euros, but over a period of four years. Doing only half of that by 2029 is definitely too slow. We must act more quickly and decisively to ensure our security—this is a lesson we should have learned from our experience in 1939.

However, we also have a fourth capability gap that has not been discussed enough publicly. From the war in Ukraine, we can observe the nature of future warfare: various drones and the accompanying electronic warfare, specifically disrupting the enemy's communications, will play a crucial role.

As an Estonian drone operator in Ukraine said in an interview with Jaanus Piirsalu, published on Sunday, the Estonian defense forces must provide every soldier and member of the Kaitseliit (Defense League) volunteer corps with tools to defend against drones and teach everyone how to protect themselves from them. Otherwise, our defense forces will suffer significant losses right at the start of the war. Of course, this involves developing the domestic drone industry and/or large-scale drone procurements.

We must fill the key gaps in Estonia's national defense quickly and decisively, we do not have much time.

Filling all these key gaps in national defense will require a lot of money. How can we secure it? Increasing taxes is not a good idea in the current economic situation, and employers have already protested against it.

At the end of last summer, the government issued a bond. Although it was small in scale, it could be repeated now, but the entire amount should be directed exclusively and specifically towards defense spending. Additionally, the European Union is discussing common defense bonds, with the proceeds potentially used to support smaller countries on the Russian border, which struggle to purchase everything they need on their own.

And of course, we are not taking these steps simply because Donald Trump says so. We are doing it because these actions are in the best interest of Estonia's security. Perhaps, this will also prompt European countries that have been slow to invest in defense to start taking action.

Therefore, Kristen Michal has promised more funding for our defense capabilities – let us hold him to his word!