Defense industrial bases (DIB) in six small NATO post-communist countries
Journal: The Economics of Peace and Security Journal
Year: 2023

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