How do we spend money on National Defence?

Expert-Grup has analysed national defence spending for 2000–2014 in a new study. According to the analysis, in recent years the funding of national defence has not been a priority on the national development agenda. Since 2009, the amounts allocated to this sector have dropped sharply. This trend did not change even after 2014, when the security situation in the region suddenly worsened. As a result, by 2015 our country ranked last in the Central and Eastern Europe region in terms of the share of defence spending in GDP. Under the existing budgetary constraints, the funds allocated to building national defence are not used in the most optimal way. Thus, over the past decade, neither the national defence reform processes nor the strategic planning documents for this sector, which would guide national defence planning over a long period of time, have been completed. Likewise, the lack of strategic documents has meant that the structure of the national army (NA) is outdated, and has not been adjusted to the new security realities and funding constraints. To redress the situation in the field, Expert-Grup recommends several measures. One of the priority recommendations would be a gradual increase in defence allocations to the regional average. Given that 10% of the territory is not controlled by the central authorities, and that security in the region has deteriorated significantly, it is imperative to change the attitude towards national defence and to put this sector back among the country’s development priorities. The infographic was developed on the basis of the report “Analysis of Budget Expenditure for National Defence”, prepared by Iurie Morcotîlo. The report can be accessed at www.expert-grup.org.