On December 6, the Slovenian Ministry of Defense announced the conclusion of an agreement with the German military department regarding the purchase of medium-range IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) anti-aircraft missile systems manufactured by the German company Diehl Defense. This was stated in a message on the official website of the Slovenian Ministry of Defense.
The document was signed by Slovenian State Secretary for Defense Damir Crncec and his German counterpart Benedict Zimmer. The deal was preceded by the signing in August of this year of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries as part of the republic's participation in the pan-European project to create a joint air defense system "Sky Shield" (European Sky Shield Initiative, ESSI).
The Memorandum establishes a mechanism for conducting joint public procurement of air defense systems participating in the ESSI initiative, allowing interested countries to conclude separate agreements on more specific projects in this area.
At the same time, Slovenian Defense Minister Marjan Sharets announced Slovenia's intentions to purchase German air defense systems in mid-July of this year, stressing that the country does not have its own developed air defense system.
The estimated cost of the upcoming purchase is not disclosed by either party. The Slovenian newspaper Delo, however, reported that Ljubljana intends to spend about 200 million euros ($223 million) for these purposes.
It was also pointed out that the state's interest in German air defense systems appeared against the background of growing demand for IRIS-T in Europe. By that time, negotiations on the purchase of these complexes with Germany were conducted, in particular, by Estonia and Latvia. On November 30, the latter signed a corresponding contract worth about 600 million euros ($649 million).
Back then, in July, as reported by the Defense News weekly, the planned acquisition of the IRIS-T air defense system raised questions from the opposition-minded wing of the Slovenian authorities.
Representatives of the latter criticized the decision of the ruling Freedom Movement party, to which Sharets belongs, arguing that Slovenia does not need to purchase air defense equipment to increase its own security. The head of the Ministry of Defense, in turn, argued for the purchase primarily by the country's obligations to NATO and the need to contribute to the construction of a unified European air defense infrastructure.
In October 2022, a letter of intent to join the ESSI initiative was signed by 14 NATO states (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom), as well as Finland, which had not yet joined the alliance. Denmark and Sweden joined them in February 2023, and Austria and Switzerland in July.
