US to earmark $68mn in Estonia's NATO army bases
Washington plans to invest $68 million to fund the development of military base infrastructure in Estonia in a bid to extend additional military aid and training to NATO forces near Russian borders.
The announcement concerning the supplementary funding as part of the US military’s so-called European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) came as an official American delegation, led by Republican Congressman Rob Wittman, paid a visit to the small Baltic nation to hold talks with Estonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser, vowing to invest in Estonia’s military facilities in Amari and Tapa, RT reported Saturday.
The development project is due to be carried out “through NATO’s support program of eastern countries European Reassurance Initiative (ERI),” said the report, citing a statement by Estonia’s Defense Ministry.
"Head of the [US] delegation… Rob Wittman said that the presence of US troops was important because the rotation of US soldiers in Estonia would help them gain experience and knowledge of the situation in the region,” the statement further added.
According to the report, the army base at Tapa remains one of Estonia’s largest military facilities since it was built during the rule of the former Soviet Union. It reportedly provides an outstanding range for live artillery firing drills. The Amari Air Base, also built in the Soviet era, is due to serve as a NATO airfield in the future.
The ERI, meanwhile, was introduced in 2014 by US President Barack Obama in a bid to establish a permanent US air, land and naval presence in Central and Eastern Europe in the face of what Washington refers to as Russian meddling in the Ukrainian conflict.
Since June, the report adds, the US has vowed to develop military training bases in six countries on or near Russian borders, including Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.
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