Priorities of Additional Defense Spending

A draft amendment to the 2008 state budget will bring total funding of the Ministry of Defense to GEL 1.395 billion – up by GEL 295 million.

Some of the priorities of additional defense spending were unveiled at a hearing of parliamentary committee for defense and security on June 27.

According to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) GEL 237 million – out of additional GEL 295 million – will be spent on purchase of ammunition, as well as on training of reserve troops, military exercises, modernization of the existing equipment and for mission to Iraq. MoD did not give more detailed breakdown of distribution of this GEL 237 million.

GEL 29.96 million, according to the MoD, will be spent on reconstruction of air base in Kobuleti in Adjara Autonomous Republic and Kopitnari, close to Kutaisi; Vaziani military base close to Tbilisi; military unit in Vashlijvari in Tbilisi, as well as on reconstruction of bases for reserve troops.

“These are all already existing bases, which will be modernized under NATO standards,” Batu Kutelia, the Georgian deputy defense minister, told Civil.Ge on June 27.

GEL 25.75 million will be spent on the MoD’s efforts to recruit new professionals and to retrain staff in various professions, including pilots, air instructors, navigators and artillerists.

GEL 2.5 million will be allocated for health insurance of servicemen and civilians, according to MoD.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) will also benefit from the planned budgetary amendment as an additional GEL 40 million is earmarked for it.
 
If approved, the amendment will bring the MIA’s total funding for 2008 to GEL 640 million, compared to GEL 467.4 million in 2007.

The 2008 state budget, according to the draft amendment, will increase in total by only GEL 226 million. The extra funding for the MoD and MIA will come at the expense of cutting funding from other ministries.

The Parliament is expected to discuss the budgetary amendments at a session on July 15.