United States informed Europe about military aid reduction

(Patria) - The United States Department of Defense informed European countries last week that military support under the program known as Section 333 will be reduced to zero from the next fiscal year, a Lithuanian Ministry of Defense official said on Friday.

Two sources familiar with the situation said on Thursday that the United States will gradually phase out some security assistance for European countries near the border with Russia, raising concerns among key recipients such as Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia – former Soviet republics that are now in NATO and the European Union, Reuters reported.

Lithuanian Ministry of Defense Policy Director Vaidotas Urbelis told reporters in Vilnius that the US Department of Defense told Europeans last week that the Section 333 program “will be set to zero for all European countries” from the next fiscal year.

Section 333 is an authority under which the United States provides training and equipment to enhance the security of partner nations.

The budget cut, which needs to be confirmed by Congress, does not affect the deployment of US troops, nor support through a separate US program called Foreign Military Financing, managed by the US State Department, he said.

Lithuania has proposed taking over part of the funding for a separate Baltic Security Initiative program, which targets the three Baltic states and is also under review by the US Department of Defense, he added.

An Important Signal

US military aid “has served as a very important political signal of US support,” an Estonian Ministry of Defense spokeswoman told Reuters in an email, not confirming or denying the move.

“Security assistance to the Baltic states has been a strongly supported program so far,” she added.

“It has enabled us, among other things, to accelerate the development of critical capabilities and to choose American equipment.”

The Baltic states plan to spend €6.3 billion in 2025, about 3-4% of their gross domestic product, almost three times more than before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

All three countries expect further increases in defense spending to over five percent of GDP next year. Lithuania received $200.3 million in Section 333 funding during fiscal years 2018-2022, and Latvia and Estonia received a combined $360.2 million during fiscal years 2018-2021, according to US State Department data.

The Estonian Ministry of Defense spokeswoman suggested that this would continue: “The direction of the current administration is a significant reduction in foreign aid, but the final allocation will be determined… between the administration and Congress.”