Defense industrial bases (DIB) in six small NATO post-communist countries

Bohuslav Pernica (), Jaroslav Dvorak (), Zsolt Lazar (), Balázs Taksás () and Alex Maskalíkis ()
Additional contact information
Bohuslav Pernica: Klaipėda University,Klaipeda,Lithuania
Jaroslav Dvorak: Klaipėda University,Klaipeda,Lithuania
Zsolt Lazar: Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, Budapest, Hungary
Balázs Taksás: Ludovika University of Public Service, Budapest
Alex Maskalíkis: Institute of Military History (Ministry of Defense), Bratislava, Slovakia

Economics of Peace and Security Journal, 2023, vol. 18, issue 1, 53-65

Abstract: This article investigates the changes in the defense industrial base (DIB) of the small NATO post-communist countries: Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. It considers the historical development of their industries from the Soviet era and the developments caused by the Crimea and Ukraine conflicts. It finds that exports to the markets of the former communist Czechoslovakia continued for Czechia with the DIB owned and controlled by oligarchs—who have been able to leverage this power to influence defense policy. In Slovakia, the DIB is insignificant and mainly under the influence of Czechia. The Hungarian DIB is being redeveloped by the richest members of Hungarian society, through international joint ventures, with the aim of expanding exports. The DIBs of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania produce only what is needed by their national armed forces—which seems unlikely to change.

Keywords: defense industry; modernization; post-communism; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F52 O25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.epsjournal.org.uk/index.php/EPSJ/article/view/385 (application/pdf)
Open access 24 months after original publication.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:epc:journl:v:18:y:2023:i:1:p:53-65

DOI: 10.15355/epsj.18.1.53

Access Statistics for this article

Economics of Peace and Security Journal is currently edited by Michael Brown and J Paul Dunne

More articles in Economics of Peace and Security Journal from EPS Publishing Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Michael Brown, Managing Editor, EPSJ ().