The Ministry of Defense will propose to the government to reallocate an additional 200 million euros in the budget for strengthening the air defense system.
Funds amounting to 200 million euros are planned to be reallocated from the budget program "Funding for Measures to Strengthen State Security" to the Ministry of Defense subprogram "Maintenance of National Armed Forces." Currently, under the "Maintenance of National Armed Forces" program, funding for the acquisition of air defense systems is not planned for 2026 and 2027. As reported, from 2023 to 2027, Latvia has committed to allocate an additional 200 million euros annually for strengthening air defense. In total, 1 billion euros will be allocated for these purposes over five years. The first decision on reallocating funds was made by the government in December 2023, and the second in February of last year. In November 2023, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the German company "Diehl Defence" for the acquisition of medium-range air defense systems "IRIS-T" for 600 million euros, which will ensure the implementation of a multi-layered air defense system in Latvia. Deliveries of the "IRIS-T" systems are expected to begin in 2026.
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