Elmar Vaher, new director general of the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI), told Eesti Ekspress that the center is not yet ready to operate under an immediate war threat or during wartime.
“I do not yet have a solid plan that has been thoroughly practiced,” he said.
Since Vaher became director in January, the agency has undergone major changes: several department heads have left, and more category and portfolio managers are also departing.
There are no agreements on how wartime ordering, purchasing and delivery for the Defense Forces would function. The ECDI itself lacks the radio communication equipment needed for wartime command and employees who work daily on training grounds do not have personal protective equipment such as helmets and plate carriers.
Wartime locations — shelters and situation centers — have not been designated, and work is still underway to determine which of the 500 employees would fall under mobilization and what the role of female employees would be in a crisis when schools and kindergartens close.
Also, Vaher does not yet have an overview of whether everything is in order regarding corruption at the agency.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Estonia’s defense investment volume has risen sharply. In 2022 it accounted for 2.16 percent of the state budget, or €776 million, but has now increased to 5.46 percent, more than €2.2 billion.
The ECDI is responsible for defense investments in Estonia, and Vaher said such sums inevitably bring corruption risks, but it is still unclear what the current risk level is.
“This question needs to be examined carefully, like Hercule Poirot would,” Vaher told Ekspress.
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