Of the 12,300 million budgeted, 26% more, 4,900 million are earmarked to pay for the armed forces’ modernization plans with frigates, aircraft and armored vehicles and to generate some 22,600 direct jobs
The Defense Ministry will begin its growth path in fiscal year 2023 to deliver on the government’s commitment at the latest NATO summit in Madrid to reach 2% of GDP in military spending by 2029. The department it heads will get Margarita Robles 12,306 million from the state coffers, a 26% increase from 2022 when they were 10,155 million, or 2.7% of the general state budget.
This significant growth is essentially due to the inclusion in the total expenditure of the special modernization programs (formerly called weapons), which go from 2,800 million to 4,900 in one year, 72% more. Without them, defense bills would grow by 8.4% to just over 7.9 billion, in line with other years.
However, it should be noted that the department’s budget is not final, that is, it is subject to unforeseen increases during the course that imply an increase in expenditure. This year, for example, from the initial 10,155 million on January 1, there is an increase from 2,205 million to July through extraordinary credits, according to the General Intervention of the State Administration (IGAE).
The special programs that will eat 4,900 million of the next budget include the construction of the F-110 frigates, the S-80 submarine, the H-90 helicopter or the armored 8×8. These projects are considered essential to the national industry and the investment effort will directly or indirectly generate some 22,600 jobs by 2023.
The special programs that will eat 4,900 million of the next budget include the construction of the F-110 frigates, the S-80 submarine, the H-90 helicopter or the armored 8×8. These projects are considered essential to the national industry and the investment effort will directly or indirectly generate some 22,600 jobs by 2023.
According to the Treasury, the political justification that Defense Funds grow less than other more social ministries, such as Social Rights or Equality, but that they are intended to strengthen our security and boost national production, are two strategic elements of the state.
According to the schedule of the Stability Program that the government sent to Brussels, compliance with the 2% of NATO’s GDP with these accounts is beginning to glimpse as next year that percentage will rise from the current 1.01% to 1.1% and in 2025 it will reach 1.2%. In short, according to the Treasury, the item Defense is “completely transversal, as it responds to a multitude of dimensions and perspectives: digital, industrial, international, operational and environmental cooperation”
However, the payment of salaries to the more than 150,000 men and women, military and civilians who make up the armed forces and the Ministry of Defense, consumes the bulk of current spending. While other concepts, such as the resources allocated to bases, barracks, military buildings and equipment, go from 204 million to 255 million in 2023, while the annual allocation for the European Peace Support Fund rises to 94 million as a result of the procedures ensuing from the invasion of Ukraine.
After the tension that arose in the coalition government on Tuesday at learning of this 26% increase in Defense, United We Can this Thursday lowered the dispute with a more pragmatic tone. Parliamentary group chairman Jaume Asens has emphasized that the increase in military spending is a commitment of the PSOE to NATO that they did not want or share, but they must also start from the “correlation of forces” in the executive branch.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
