WARSAW \u2014 Fearful of a possible military intervention by Moscow, Eastern European NATO member states are resisting acquiring new equipment from Russia and scrapping\u00a0their cooperation with Russian defense manufacturers to service their existing gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Slovakia, the country\u2019s <\/span>Defens<\/span>ce Ministry is planning to replace a large portion of its military\u2019s equipment from the <\/span>Warsaw Pact-era military equipment with new gear, preferably purchased from other NATO member states, local analysts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The government is bent on replacing Soviet-era equipment through the most ambitious acquisition and modernization drive in modern history,” Michal \u0160ime\u010dka, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations (IIR) in Prague, said.\u00a0“In the past year, Slovakia’s Defens<\/span>ce Ministry announced plans to purchase two Italian-made Spartan transport aircraft, Czech-made Bren rifles,<\/span> and nine UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The ministry also plans to acquire a new mobile air defense system.” said Michal \u0160ime\u010dka, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations (IIR) in Prague.<\/span>, the Czech Republic.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to \u0160ime\u010dka\u00a0the analyst<\/span>, the crisis in Ukraine has provided Bratislava with additional political legitimacy to motivate its <\/span>hike in <\/span>military procurement. Other acquisitions that have been mulled by the Slovak government include the plan to <\/span>replacing\u00a0the country\u2019s Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets with a lease of eight Swedish Saab\u00a0JAS\u00a039 Gripen aircraft. However, a final decision is yet to be taken by Bratislava.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia Main Security Threat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Ukraine, this year\u2019s edition of its the country\u2019s <\/span>military doctrine is the first in its history <\/span>to clearly identify Russia as an enemy and aggressor. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Sept. 1 that his government is currently <\/span>modernizing its armed forces, and its key military objectives include strengthening the <\/span>military ties with between Kiev and <\/span>Washington\u00a0and upgrading Ukraine\u2019s naval capabilities with the construction of four new <\/span>corvettes. The procurement is expected to contribute to efforts by Kiev to hamper Moscow\u2019s activities in the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia\u2019s increased military presence in Eastern Europe is also <\/span>reflected in the defense policies adopted elsewhere by other countries <\/span>in the region. , and with more funds being allocated to military acquisitions by the governments of Eastern European allies.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Lithuania, the Defens<\/span>ce Ministry’s strategic document, “Assessment of Threats To National Security In 2015,” strategic document <\/span>says that “Russia is searching for ways to leverage the advantage of NATO in terms of conventional warfare. Therefore, in the first place Russia is trying to achieve this goal by creating an area (buffer zone) situated close to Russia and controlled by political or military means,” which drives Russia\u2019s expansion on the Black and Baltic seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania is responding to this <\/span>by increasing its military spending and awarding military procurements to other NATO member states, including the US, Germany and Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lithuanian Defens<\/span>ce Ministry recently unveiled its draft defense budget for 2016, with plans to increase the country\u2019s <\/span>military expenditure to \u20ac574 million euros <\/span>(US\u00a0<\/span>$634 million), which represents 1.48 percent\u00a0of Lithuania\u2019s gross domestic product. (GDP). <\/span>With the Ukrainian conflict amplifying its the country\u2019s <\/span>threat perception of\u00a0Russia, the ministry said in a statement that it will focus on “developing priority capabilities and combat training.”