(Bloomberg) — Latvia said it wants to establish a “drone army” as part of efforts to boost production of the local defense industry and strengthen military capabilities in the Baltic region.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The government will invest some 20 million euros ($22 million) this year to develop the project, Defense Minister Andris Spruds said in a post on X.

It follows a similar move last week by his counterpart Laurynas Kasciunas in neighboring Lithuania, which announced it would invest 10 million euros in local production, with 3 million euros dedicated for drones to be sent to Ukraine.

Countries in the Baltic region are developing new defense capabilities to fend off threats from neighboring Russia and Belarus amid spiraling tensions between the Kremlin and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization over the war in Ukraine.

Separately, the Baltic interior ministers said last week that Russia’s European neighbors from Norway to Poland are considering establishing a “drone wall” to track migration, maintain surveillance and to combat smuggling.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.