January 6, 2023
Major General Stephen Maranian, Commanding General of the United States Army Europe-Africa’s 56th Artillery Command, participated in a ceremony at the Tapa military base on Friday to highlight United States support for Estonia’s recent procurement of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. Major General Maranian was joined during the ceremony by Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur and Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces Lieutenant General Martin Herem.
In December 2022, Estonia’s National Defense Investment Center signed an agreement with the United States’ Defense Security Cooperation Agency to procure six HIMARS systems for Estonia, largely funded by Foreign Military Financing provided by the United States.
In his remarks, Major General Maranian highlighted the importance of the United States-Estonia security partnership, including the HIMARS purchase, and praised Estonia for its commitment to NATO’s collective defense.
“Estonia is a tremendous ally that is demonstrating, once again, a clear commitment to our collective defense. Estonia’s leadership in providing military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine is laudable. The United States is proud to partner with Estonia as it acquires this advanced artillery system. It will make the Estonian Defense Forces more capable, more lethal, and better able to defend Estonia and the entire NATO Alliance,” Major General Maranian said.
In October 2022, the United States provided Estonia with $140.5 million in Foreign Military Financing to strengthen Estonian security and defense. The assistance is part of a commitment of $2.2 billion total to support Ukraine and 17 countries that have provided significant assistance to Ukraine. Since 2016, the United States has provided more than $500 million in security assistance to Estonia.
Photos from the ceremony: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassytallinn/albums/72177720305024232
