Another record year for defense spending in 2008 - Haaretz

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Sat., December 29, 2007 Tevet 20, 5768

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Last update - 02:04 28/12/2007

Another record year for defense spending in 2008

By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent

Tags: Defense budget

The defense budget for 2008 will be NIS 51.3 billion, thereby setting yet another new record for defense spending.

This figure represents over 16% of the entire NIS 314 billion state budget for next year, which the Knesset approved yesterday after passing the accompanying Economic Arrangements Law the day before. It also represents about 7% of gross domestic product.

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Of this sum, NIS 4.3 billion will go for pensions for those who have retired from the military, up from NIS 3.9 billion in 2007. Another NIS 1.2 billion is earmarked for the separation fence, and NIS 1.2 billion for bereaved families, widows and memorials for the fallen.

In total, 40.7% of the defense budget goes for personnel, 23.5% for equipment and 35.8% for operations and miscellaneous costs.

But compared to other militaries around the world, Israel's spending on manpower is low. The Italians spend 85.1% of their defense budget on personnel, Germany 58.5%, France 56.3% and Britain 42.1%.

The base defense budget for 2008 is only NIS 49.35 billion, as recommended by the Brodet Committee on defense spending. However, in the last quarter of 2008, the Defense Ministry will also be able to use $150 million of the U.S. military aid for 2009.

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