With a limited budget, North Macedonia plans to cooperate with the UK, the US, Montenegro and Slovenia – all NATO allies.
The government of North Macedonia, after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, gave us all its tanks and all Su-25 attack aircraft.
This was reported by the Defense Express portal.
“However, this was not done without reason, because Macedonia is building a new type of army, where the emphasis is not on heavy equipment and operational flexibility,” the journalists note.
The Macedonian army will be organized around armored vehicles, supported by drones on a limited budget.
However, Macedonia plans to cooperate with Great Britain, the United States, Montenegro and Slovenia, which are NATO allies.
In particular, the Macedonian Armed Forces plan to purchase more JLTV 4×4 armored vehicles and Stryker 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carriers, which will be reinforced with a variety of unmanned systems.
Macedonia's approach demonstrates why handing over all its tanks to Ukraine would not be an irreparable loss for the country.
“Building a mechanized force around wheeled, mobile platforms with drones sounds like a modern army trying to optimize its small budget for maximum effectiveness in modern warfare,” the journalists write.
Today, North Macedonia's military budget is $388.3 million, of which a third goes to purchasing weapons and equipment, making it a fairly limited financial resource that the country must allocate wisely.
“In general, we see that even with small financial resources it is possible to adapt to the realities of our time. This could be a valuable lesson for Ukraine, which does not have the best economy and is forced to set priorities,” the analysts add.
In addition, Ukraine and North Macedonia have a long history of mutual military support, dating back a quarter of a century.
More than 20 years ago, in 2001, Ukraine provided the government in Skopje with significant military aid: Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, Su-25 aircraft, and T-72 tanks. These supplies were important for strengthening the Macedonian army’s defense capabilities against threats from Albanian armed groups.
After the Kremlin began its full-scale aggression, North Macedonia became one of the few Balkan countries that provided military assistance to Ukraine.
In addition to equipment, the government provided ammunition and small arms, and Ukrainian troops took part in exercises on Macedonian territory.
It was previously reported that while the war in Ukraine is going on, Western governments are buying up ammunition for it in the Balkan countries, in particular in Bosnia and Russia-friendly Serbia. So, lately, arms manufacturers in the Western Balkans have been flourishing.
