A. Sprūds: Next year's Defence funding must be increased to 4% of GDP

On Tuesday, 18 February, the Cabinet of Ministers reviewed the Defence Ministry’s report “On the Initial Assessment of NATO Requirements for the Development of Defence Capabilities”, which informs about the NATO capability objectives for Latvia and provides an initial assessment of their implementation.

"Latvia needs to strengthen its capabilities across all domains - land, sea, air, logistics, and cyberspace. The National Armed Forces' priorities include air and coastal defence, increasing firepower, infantry fighting vehicles, procurement and production of ammunition, as well as drone and counter-drone systems. We are protecting not only Latvia but also the external borders of the EU and NATO. We must be determined and united—this is a critically important time to urgently strengthen our defence. At the same time, as a frontline NATO border state, Latvia faces an increasing burden in implementing these objectives. Achieving NATO capability targets will require additional financial and personnel resources, as well as strengthening the capacity of the defence industry. The government is united in the decision to increase defence funding to 4% of GDP next year and continue moving toward 5%," says Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds.

To implement the new NATO defence plans approved at the Vilnius Summit, additional capabilities must be introduced. These new capability requirements have been incorporated into NATO's defence capability development planning process, which follows the principle of equitable burden-sharing among alliance members.

Although Latvia already invests more in defence than most NATO allies, the available resources for achieving NATO capability targets remain insufficient. As a border country with Russia, it is crucial for Latvia to set an example and call on other NATO member states to follow suit and allocate the necessary resources for achieving NATO capability goals.

As reported before, the Baltic defence ministers also agree on the need for NATO member states to increase their defence budget, calling on the Allies to increase defence spendings to 3% of GDP.

MoD Military Public Affairs Department
Media Relations Section
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E-mail: prese@mod.gov.lv