Agenda Profile: Leo Kunnas

The political focus is heavily directed towards the rapid strengthening of national defense and military engineering capabilities, highlighting the lessons learned from the positional warfare phase of the Russia-Ukraine war. The speaker forcefully advocates for launching domestic military explosive production and demands clarity from the government regarding the timeline and cost for replenishing the stocks transferred to Ukraine. The issue of considering the denunciation of the Ottawa Convention is also being raised, specifically to ensure the effectiveness of defense installations. The overall focus is policy- and results-driven, requiring concrete financial decisions from the government.

The speaker demonstrates profound expertise regarding military engineering capabilities, defensive structures, and ammunition production, employing technical terminology such as "self-propelled artillery" and "trotyl." This expertise is bolstered by historical examples (Sinimäed, the Maginot Line) and an understanding of the current status of the European defense industry (a Polish factory, Finnish considerations). Specific attention is drawn to the knowledge of the Estonian mining industry's capacity for producing civilian-grade explosives, which could potentially be adapted for military application.

The rhetorical style is formal, serious, and to the point, focusing on logical arguments and facts related to the geopolitical situation and lessons learned from military history. Direct questions are posed to the Prime Minister, and the tone is demanding, emphasizing the need for quick decisions in national defense. The speaker uses a positive remark regarding a previous successful inquiry to highlight the constructive nature of their actions.

The pattern of action involves holding the government accountable through parliamentary inquiries (or interpellations), focusing on specific deficiencies in defense capabilities. The speaker refers to a previously successful inquiry concerning indirect fire capability, which indicates repeated and targeted efforts in raising national defense issues. This pattern encompasses influencing the government's financial decisions at the parliamentary level.

The primary criticism is aimed at the Government of the Republic and the Prime Minister, as they are viewed as the ultimate decision-makers regarding finances and are therefore responsible for guaranteeing defense capability. The criticism is rooted in policy and procedure, demanding clear answers and timelines concerning both the replenishment of relinquished stocks and the specifics of the new reinforcement package. The intensity of the criticism is moderate, yet demanding.

The speaker emphasized regional cooperation, referencing the joint defense project of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania known as the "Baltic Wall." Furthermore, the efforts of allies (Poland, Finland) in developing their defense industries were highlighted to bolster arguments for the necessity of domestic production. The cooperation is primarily focused on international defense coordination.

The focus is heavily placed on international and regional defense issues related to the Russia-Ukraine war and the defense investments being made by the Baltic states and Poland. Domestically, emphasis is placed on utilizing the potential of the Estonian mining industry to produce military-grade explosives, thereby linking national defense with local industry.

Economic perspectives advocate for national investments aimed at strengthening defense capabilities and developing the domestic defense industry, particularly by initiating the production of military explosives. Stress is laid upon leveraging existing strengths (the mining industry) to meet significant European demand and ensure strategic independence in the supply of explosives.

The only social issue concerning an international convention is the consideration of denouncing the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines. This question has been raised purely in the context of national defense and the effectiveness of defensive structures, rather than from a socio-ethical or humanitarian perspective.

The legislative focus is centered on securing political decisions and funding necessary to strengthen defense capabilities, utilizing parliamentary inquiries (interpellation) to pressure the government. Key priorities include clarifying the schedule and cost for replenishing the reserves transferred to Ukraine, initiating explosive manufacturing in Estonia, and incorporating combat engineering (sapper) capabilities into the new defense forces reinforcement package.