“Over the years, US security assistance has been an important supplement to Estonia’s own steadily increasing defence investments and has enabled us to accelerate a number of capability developments. The continuation of security assistance to the Baltic States confirms the United States’ ongoing commitment to strengthening the deterrence and defence posture on NATO’s eastern flank,” Foreign Minister Tsahkna said. “Estonia highly values the support of the US Congress and the American people in ensuring security in our region.”
The foreign minister added that Estonia itself is also taking the strengthening of the country’s defence capability with the utmost seriousness, investing more than 5% of GDP in defence this year and thereby reaching, as one of the first Allies, the new defence spending level agreed at the NATO summit in The Hague.
“The decision by the U.S. Congress to allocate 200 million dollars to the Baltic states for the development of new capabilities shows that the United States remains committed to maintaining and strengthening transatlantic relations, and that Estonia enjoys very strong support in the U.S. Congress. The U.S. Secretary of Defense and members of Congress have repeatedly affirmed that Estonia and the other Baltic states are so-called model allies, and today’s funding decision certainly reflects this,” said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
The Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) was established in 2020 with the aim of developing the Baltic States’ independent defence capabilities and their interoperability with one another. Through the BSI, a total of $231 million was allocated to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2025; $228 million in 2024; $225 million in 2023; $180 million in 2022; and $169 million in 2021. The BSI is divided differently among the Baltic States each year according to capability needs.
In addition to BSI, security assistance to the Baltic states has been provided through the US State Department's Foreign Military Financing (FMF) support program and the International Military Education and Training (IMET) training program for representatives of defense structures. Through FMF, Estonia has been allocated $17.5 million in 2025, $16.7 million in 2024, $19.3 million in 2023, $179.5 million in 2022, $31.2 million in 2021, and $18.8 million in 2020. Estonia's exceptionally large FMF allocation for 2022 was made due to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and its impact on the security situation in our region. As a result of consultations between Estonia and the US, it was decided to allocate most of this amount for the acquisition of HIMARS multiple rocket launcher ammunition. The support allocated to Estonia through IMET continues to be $1.3 million per year.
Funds allocated through both the BSI and FMF are used to procure US defence industry equipment, services or training. In addition to HIMARS munition, US security assistance has been used to acquire equipment supporting integrated air and missile defence capabilities, communications and connectivity systems, night-vision devices, ammunition – including Javelin missiles and large-calibre artillery shells – coastal surveillance radars, monitoring systems, and battlefield medical supplies.
* The exact amount will be determined during 2026 and may not exactly coincide with the initially allocated target level.
