The US Congress passed a government funding bill on 22 March, including USD228 million in security assistance for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
This year, the US has also provided Estonia with USD47.3 million within the Foreign Military Financing programme.
“Support from the US has significantly helped Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fast track several military infrastructure and capability development projects. The good news is that the support is slightly higher than last year. This sends a clear signal that the US, the largest ally in NATO, is committed to the security and stability of our region,” Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian defence minister, said in a statement.
The Baltic Security Initiative, launched in 2020, is an effort by the US Department of Defence to support the development of defence capabilities and interoperability among the three Baltic states.
Last year, USD225 million was allocated to the Baltic states under the Baltic Security Initiative, and USD169 million in 2022.
The focus of the funding is on developing air defence, maritime situational awareness and land forces. The Estonian share of the funding will be determined by the autumn of 2023.
