Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defense of Estonia, sent a draft decision on increasing the Armed Forces personnel by more than 20,000 people in the event of martial law for approval.

The press service of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia reported this.

It is reported that according to the new document, the military personnel should increase to 43,700 soldiers.

According to the country’s current legislation, the wartime military includes 26,700 soldiers.

It is noted that scaling would include several important components. First, the plan is to double the ground forces. 10,500 soldiers will be additionally involved in this component. Secondly, the wartime personnel will include an additional reserve of 4,000 soldiers.

The plan is to also add anti-tank and anti-aircraft defense units.

“The aim of increasing the wartime personnel is to ensure that every current and new potential of the defense forces is provided with a sufficient number of defenders of the state. It helps us plan with surgeon’s precision the taxpayer funds entrusted to national defense. Since the activities of the defense forces are financed from the taxpayer’s wallet, it is important to know which personnel we should consider when preparing and purchasing equipment,” Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defense of Estonia, emphasized.

Military wartime units can be involved in tasks only upon the mobilization announcement.

It is also emphasized that updating the legislation will allow the Command to quickly understand how many forces are at its disposal without awaiting the government’s decisions.

Wartime personnel are prepared by conscription and reserve service.

Previously, Estonia announced a new military aid package to Ukraine. It includes small arms, drones, thermal imagers, generators, chargers, and uniforms for the military.

In total, Tallinn emphasized that Estonia provided military aid to Ukraine in the amount of almost €400 million or more than 1% of the country’s GDP.