Increase In Military Spending Research Articles

The Economic Impact of Arms Spending in Germany, Italy, and Spain

Abstract In the last 10 years, military expenditures of NATO EU countries (according to NATO definitions and data) have increased by almost 50 %, from €145 billion in 2014 to €215 billion in 2023. In this context, it is important to assess the economic consequences that the current increase in military spending is likely to have on Europe’s economies. We focus on Germany, Italy and Spain, and we concentrate on arms acquisitions. The article investigates the economic effect of military expenditure on growth and employment and compares it to the impact that could emerge from a similar expenditure for education, health and the environment. We use an input–output methodology – already adopted by several studies – to assess the relevance of imports and of demand towards different sectors providing intermediate inputs. We assess the likely impact on output and jobs of one billion euros of extra spending in arms, and compare it to the outcomes of the same amount spent in education, health and the environment. Our findings show that for all countries non-military public expenditures have a greater impact on the economy and employment than spending for arms acquisition.

Defence Spending and Income Inequality. An Asymmetric Empirical Evidence from a Decomposition Analysis of Defence Spending in the Case of Greece

ABSTRACT This study is the first to empirically examine the asymmetric and compositional effects of defence spending on three different measures of income disparity. Using the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) approach, the study analyses the short- and long-term impacts of disaggregated defence spending on income inequality in Greece. The findings have significant theoretical and policy implications. First, in the medium term, increased military spending in Greece widens income disparity by boosting the income share of the wealthiest. Second, in the long term, positive changes in military expenditures reduce income inequality, primarily benefiting lower-income groups. Third, long-term negative changes in defence spending harm middle- and low-income groups. Finally, the compositional analysis highlights that increases in military spending, mostly on personnel and, to a lesser extent, on equipment, improve long-term income equality, while decreases in spending on personnel significantly worsen income disparity. Given these findings and the evolving nature of warfare, Greece should gradually adopt a new defence strategy. This strategy should emphasise extensive personnel reserves, prioritise domestic military equipment over costly foreign alternatives, and rationalise defence expenditures by reallocating budget expenditures towards health, education, and social welfare programs. These measures would enhance living standards and reduce income inequality in Greece.

The Impact of the Arms Race on the Economic Growth of the United States and Russia

The arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union (Russia) during the Cold War had a significant impact on the economic growth of both superpowers. This study examines how the allocation of vast resources for military purposes and threats affected other sectors of the economy. By analyzing historical data on military spending, industrial production, investment, and GDP. The research found that the arms race puts huge pressure on the state budget and creates a trade-off between military spending and investment in productive sectors, which ultimately hampers long-term economic growth in both countries. This study uses secondary data such as journal books, reports from Publish or Perish, Google Scholar, related and relevant websites regarding the arms race and its impact on economic growth through the library research method. The data collection technique used is data triangulation. The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of the arms race between the US and Russia on the economic growth of both countries. Therefore, it is expected to provide insight and reference for the government in formulating policies regarding the arms race carried out by other countries. The results of this study found the negative impact of the arms race and the importance of placing resources wisely for sustainable economic growth. The impact of the United States and Russia's arms race can hamper long-term economic growth and welfare levels in both countries. Therefore, diplomacy of international cooperation and de-escalation of tensions are necessary to avoid an arms race due to uncontrolled increase in military spending

Does The Military Expenditure Hurt The Economic Growth? Evidence Derive From South Asian Countries

Research Aims: This study examines the impact of military spending onthe economic growth in South Asian countries.Design/methodology/approach: It uses the 134 unbalanced data points ofsix South Asian countries collected from the various reports of the WorldBank. Descriptive and exploratory research designs are used. It is basedon the positivist research philosophy. Some statistical and econometrictools like descriptive statistics, panel unit root test, Johnsen and Kaoresidual cointegration test, and panel ARDL model are used to explorethe impact of military expenditure, inflation rate, unemployment rate,and gross capital formation on the economic growth of South Asiancountries.Research Findings: Inflation has a positive effect on economic growth inthe long run but a negative impact in the short run. Military expenditurehas a positive effect in the long run but a negative impact on economicgrowth; the unemployment rate is negative, and gross capital formationpositively impacts economic growth in the long and short run in SouthAsian Countries. Military spending does not significantly affect economicprogress in the long run, but military expenditure hurts economic growthin the short run. One unit increase in military spending results from a0.633 percent decrease in the GDP growth of South Asian countries. Theyouth unemployment rate negatively impacts economic growth in theshort and long run. One unit increase in the unemployment rate resultsfrom 0.093 and 0.319 unit decrease in economic growth in the long andshort run, respectively. Likewise, one unit increase in capital formationand inflation rate results from 0.203 and 0.116 unit increase in GDPgrowth in the long run, respectively. The inflation rate negatively impactseconomic growth in the short run. One unit increase in inflation rateresults from 0.191 unit decrease in GDP growth in short-run. Prioritizestrategies that mitigate short-term negative impacts of inflation andmilitary expenditure while fostering long-term economic growth throughinvestment in capital formation and addressing youth unemployment inSouth Asian countries.Keywords: Inflation, unemployment, panel data, Keynesian stimulushypothesis, stagnation

Does corruption moderate the military spending – Informal economy nexus? The empirical evidence from Asian countries

PurposeIn pursuit of good governance and better allocation of resources, corruption and informal economy are of interest to policymakers and citizens alike. The impacts of military spending on the informal economy are scant. Moreover, the effects of an external factor, such as corruption that moderates this relationship, have largely been neglected in previous studies. Hence, this paper investigates how corruption moderates the effects of military spending on the informal economy in 30 Asian countries from 1995 to 2017.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilizes the GMM estimation technique, which allows cross-sectional dependence and slope homogeneity in panel data analysis, to examine the moderating role of corruption on the relationship between military spending and the informal economy.FindingsEmpirical findings from this paper indicate that an increase in military spending declines the informal economy while corruption increases it. Interestingly, the negative effects of military spending on the informal economy will mitigate with a greater degree of corruption in the Asian region. We also find that enhancing economic growth and attracting more FDI has reduced the informal economy in Asian countries.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study conducted to examine the moderating role of corruption on the military spending – informal economy nexus. Thus far, this approach has not been investigated in the existing literature, particularly for Asian countries.

Do military expenditures have an impact on the adoption of renewable energy in OECD nations? Evidence from a panel cointegration test approach

PurposeToday, many industries are implementing creative approaches in response to increasing environmental awareness. It is of great importance to answer the question of whether the military sector, one of the most important sectors, can support renewable energy (RE) adaptation. This study aims to examine how military spending affects the supply of RE in 27 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations as well as the regulatory function of factors such as innovation, international trade and oil prices between 1990 and 2021.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines the effects of military spending, income, green innovation, international trade, oil prices and the human development index on the supply of RE using various econometric approaches, which are the cointegration test, moments quantile regression and robustness test.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that all factors, excluding military spending, quite likely affect the expansion of the renewable supply. Military spending negatively influences the RE supply; specifically, a 1% increase in military spending results in a 0.88 reduction in the renewable supply. In addition, whereas income elasticity, trade and human development index in OECD nations are higher in the last quantiles of the regression than in the first quantiles, the influence of military spending and innovation on renewable supply is about the same in all quantiles.Practical implicationsOECD nations must consider the practical implications, which are essential to assess and update the military spending of OECD countries from a green energy perspective to transition to clean energy. Based on the study’s overall findings, the OECD countries should incorporate the advantages of innovation, economic growth and international trade into their clean energy transition strategies to lessen the impact of military spending on renewables.Originality/valueThe study aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding the role of military expenditures in the RE development of an OECD country. In addition, the results of the methodological analysis can be used to guide policymakers on how military spending should be in the field of RE.

Some Trends in the Development of Regional Integration Processes in Southeast Asia in the 2020s.

This study discusses the long-term impact of the newly created institutions of the Indo-Pacific region (IPR) on the main regional integration institution of Southeast Asia (SEA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and assesses the consequences of the implementation of the IPR concept by ASEAN countries.Aim . Determine the main trends in the development of regional integration processes in Southeast Asia in the 2020s. in the context of the Indo-Pacific process.Tasks. Determine the role of SEA countries in the Indo-Pacific process; identify the nature of the influence of AUKUS on the development trends of the regional security architecture of SEA; establish the impact of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) on the sustainable economic development of SEA countries.Methods. The methodological basis of this study is based on general scientific methods (system analysis, forecasting), political science methods, approaches to the analysis of regional security complexes existing in international relations studies (B. Buzan [3], O. Waver [5], J. De Wilde [4], A. Acharya [2]) and to the analysis of regional economic integration and its stages (J. Pelkmans [10]).Results . The inclusion of ASEAN countries in the Indo-Pacific process initiated by the United States of America (USA) and its allies in the future in 2030 leadsto 1) an increase in military spending, which may indicate a reduction in the level of trust in the region, 2) a reduction in the rate of convergence of the economies of Southeast Asian countries, which may indicate a growing imbalance in the level of development of ASEAN countries.Conclusions . The implementation of the IPR concept by ASEAN countries leads to the erosion of the “ASEAN-centricity” of regional institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as to the projected reduction in the effectiveness of ASEAN in achieving the goals of a regional integration institution, namely: 1) an increase in military spending in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region in the 2020s, including in the ASEAN countries, indicating about the declining level of trust in relations with the PRC, leading to a decrease in the effectiveness of ASEAN diplomatic mechanisms to resolve existing disputes with China over the South China Sea; 2) the pace of catching-up development of poor Southeast Asian countries in the 2020s. are reduced, the implementation of IPEF will only be able to ensure some uneven economic growth in the most developed countries of Southeast Asia, it is becoming increasingly difficult for poor countries to catch up with the more developed countries of Southeast Asia in their level of economic development, and ASEAN’s goal of ensuring equitable economic development is becoming less achievable.

Analysis of world military expenditures on production and armaments in the context of modern geopolitical threats

Geopolitical threats and military conflicts in the first quarter of the 21st century have led to changes in the structure of countries' expenditures, with an increase in defense spending on production and armaments, as well as financial support for humanitarian, economic and military needs of the warring countries. The main reason for the increase in military spending in the world is the russian-Ukrainian war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and other geopolitical risks in the Middle East and Taiwan. The growth of these risks encourages countries to increase defense spending, which further complicates the issue of financing socially important and public initiatives. It has been established that global military spending tends to increase during 2015–2023. Last year's military expenditures amounted to up to $2,240 billion, and this figure is the highest of the analyzed periods. Among the world's regions, such as North America, East Asia, Oceania, South Asia, and Europe, there is an increase in defense spending. The only region where military spending fell in 2022 was Africa, due to natural disasters and catastrophes within the region. The share of country expenditures in the structure of global defense spending has increased in countries such as the United States, China, russia, Saudi Arabia, and India. The United Kingdom, France and Japan are maneuvering in almost the same amount of spending during 2015–2023. There is also a trend in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc states, which have been increasing their spending since 2014, after the occupation of Crimea. Military and humanitarian support for Ukraine from Western partners remains a key necessity for deterring the russian aggressor, but the plan for the supply of equipment and weapons does not cover all possible needs of Ukraine, which leads to the search for other ways to maintain the country's military defense capability.

Military Expenditure and Unemployment in South Africa: Evidence from Linear and Nonlinear ARDL with and without Structural Break

This study examined the symmetric and asymmetric effects of military expenditure on the unemployment rate in South Africa using quarterly data from 1994Q1 and 2019Q4. The study adopted the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) frameworks and accounted for structural breaks in the military expenditure-unemployment nexus. The ARDL results revealed that military spending reduces unemployment in the long run for models with and without structural break but aggravates it in the short-run without a structural break. For the nonlinear ARDL results, irrespective of whether we account for a structural break or not, a positive change in military spending increases unemployment while a negative change in military spending reduces unemployment, especially in the long run. This implies that an increase in military spending is detrimental to unemployment reduction, whereas a reduction in military spending would reduce unemployment. Thus, the policy implication of the study is that the government need to prioritise other forms of spending over military spending in its drive to abate unemployment.

Developments in Military Expenditure and the Effects of the War in Ukraine

ABSTRACT This article presents on trends in military spending, building on the most recent military expenditure data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). World military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022, up 3.7 per cent to an all-time high of $2240 billion. The increase in world spending in 2022 was largely due to three factors: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; the increase in military spending by Central and Western Europe countries as a reaction to the invasion and expenditure rises in major powers in Asia, namely China, India and Japan. There were two major military expenditure related developments in 2022 linked to the war in Ukraine. Firstly, Central and Western European responded to the deteriorating security situation by announcing plans to substantially increases their military spending. Some of the acutest increases in military spending took place in countries with close geographical proximity to Russia and Ukraine. Secondly were the immediate and record levels of military aid sent to Ukraine. Based on official figures for the largest donors and other assistance funds, at least $30 billion worth of military aid was given to Ukraine in 2022, with the US as the largest provider accounting for around two-thirds of all military aid

The impact of military expenditure on external debt in Armenia

The paper explores the impact of military expenditure on external debt in Armenia using time series for 1994-2020. The purpose of this study was to verify the initial hypothesis that the main factor in the rise of Armenia’s external debt is the increase in military spending directed at paying for the import of military products. The study was conducted using Johansen’s cointegration and Granger’s causality tests. The results of Johansen’s cointegration test showed that there are long-term interdependencies between military expenditure and external debt, as well as between trade balance and external debt; meanwhile the long-term interdependence between non-military expenditures and external debt was not found. The results of Granger’s causality test showed that the military expenditure caused an increase in external debt with a two-year time lag, and a similar causal relationship was also found between the current account balance and external debt. But more remarkable is the fact that the current account balance also caused a change in military expenditure, while the reverse causality has not been established.

Ризики розвитку циркулярної моделі економіки в умовах нестабільності світового ринку

The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the risks in the global energy market, which limit the further development of the circular economy model in the leading countries of the world. The relevance of introducing a circular model of the economy due to aggravation of environmental crises, lack of natural resources to ensure sustainable development of economies is explained. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an additional round of interest in the introduction of a circular model of the economy. Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine has led to significant transformations in world markets, primarily the energy market, which will have long-term consequences for the global economy. Countries in today’s conditions are facing the problem of finding the best option for ensuring energy security and «green» development. One of these negative consequences is the emergence of risks for the further development of the circular model of the economy. The energy market is one of the backbone for the effective functioning of the world economy, so the current turbulence of the energy market poses significant threats. The actual factors of influence are analyzed; the key risks for the development of a circular model of the economy are systematized. It is determined that the current instability of the energy market has necessitated an increase in ESG investments, the aggravation of the confrontation between key actors in international relations leads to an increase in military spending in the budgets of countries. This situation increases the urgency of improving the mechanism of the State regulation of the economy, balancing instruments in order to reduce the growing number of global challenges. As a result of the study, the directions of the State regulation aimed at minimizing the risks for the development of a circular model of the economy caused by russia’s military aggression against Ukraine are identified. It is substantiated that the circular model of the economy will contribute to the more efficient use of resources, ensure sustainable development, increase the level of ecological safety.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEEP STATE AND DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION: THE CASE STUDY OF JORDAN

This study tackles the concept of the deep state, its characteristics, and its objectives and aims to establish a quantitative scientific scale to measure the indicators of the deep state and democratization in Jordan during the period 2010–2020. The study uses a combination of quantitative and analytical approaches, and its novelty stems from the fact that it adds new knowledge to the existing literature about the deep state. Also, the article is novel as it aims to establish a quantitative scientific scale to measure deep state indicators and apply it to Jordan as a case study, which is unique among pieces of related literature. Thus, the study concludes that economic indicators are the most important deep state indicators, followed by political indicators, then military indicators, and finally indicators of dependence on the outside world. The study shows that the deep economic powers of the state benefit from the privatization of state institutions, which helps stabilize and strengthen their interests. Meanwhile, the political indicators show that the Jordanian political system monopolizes political power. This paper furthermore shows that in Jordan, there has been an increase in corruption indicators, a high rate of human rights violations, and a perception by the society that the state is being targeted from the outside, all of which have increased the political powers of the deep state in Jordan. In addition, indicators of financial dependency on foreign aid have contributed to preserving the deep state, which has been seizing part of these aids and loans. Finally, the military indicators show an increase in military spending, which established the pillar of military forces in the deep state. Keywords: Deep State, Economic Indicators, Political Indicators, Military Indicators, Democratic Transformation DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.2.35

ВОЄННІ КОНФЛІКТИ ТА МІЖНАРОДНА СИСТЕМА БЕЗПЕКИ

The article explores modern trends in the development of the international security system in the context of the influence of military conflicts. It is proven that the intensification of uncertainty and tension in global confrontation affects the increase in military spending in countries worldwide. The features of acquiring international characteristics of modern conflicts are highlighted. Dynamic changes in contemporary military spending, factors influencing their dynamics are analysed. Regional peculiarities of shifts in the security environment and trends in military spending are identified. The correlation between the geopolitical interests of countries and the level of military spending are substantiated. The intensification of geo-economic and geopolitical confrontation in the world is analysed in the context of the rivalry between the USA and China – leaders among countries in terms of military spending. The Top 10 countries in the world and Ukraine are analysed by the level of military spending. It is determined that russia's war against Ukraine not only has catastrophic consequences for the European continent but also poses a real threat to the world order and security system. The impact of geopolitical asymmetries and modern global challenges on the escalation of conflicts in the world is proven. Characteristics of modern conflicts defining their asymmetry are identified in the article. The essence of hybrid warfare as a form of modern conflict that combines traditional and non-traditional (military and non-military) measures of purposeful and organized infliction of losses, destruction of the country's potential (economic, innovative, military, demographic, etc.) to achieve strategic goals by the aggressor country is determined. Keywords: conflict, military conflicts, terrorism, military spending, security, international security system, asymmetry, hybrid warfare.

The Impact of Military Spending on the Financial Performance in Iraq for the Period 2003-2020

Given the importance of the issue of public expenditures and their role in supporting economic development and as a result of the repeated wars on Iraq, the increase in military spending had a negative impact on the performance of the financial policy of the Iraqi economy, so researchers tried to focus on this subject to reach a mechanism that makes the repeated increases in military spending less painful. On the financial performance, by relying on international experiences in this field and their role in transforming the spending process on military magazines with an economic return, making the process of economic development based on the results of international experiences related to the subject, and the researchers concluded that the increase in public spending, and in particular spending The military was very large and had a negative impact on the economic performance of the field of economic activities. The researchers recommended relying on local capabilities to supply the military industry with all the requirements that would raise the level of the defense and security structure in Iraq and all the requirements of industrial development in this field in order to show the real effects of military spending on financial performance .

Asymmetric Effect of Military Expenditures on Economic Growth in Pakistan: A Nonlinear-ARDL Approach

The nexus between military expenditure and economic growth has been analyzed using different methods and techniques in the economic growth literature, but most previous findings are indecisive, i.e., non-significant, positive, or negative. The primary purpose of this article was to explain the military expenditure-economic growth nexus in Pakistan by capturing the asymmetrical effects of military expenditures on economic growth using the non-linear autoregressive distribution lag-NARDL technique. Data were analyzed from 1972-2018. The results indicated that a decrease in military spending (adverse shocks) enhanced economic growth in the long term. An increase in military spending (positive shocks) had an insignificant effect on economic growth in Pakistan, suggesting that a focus on cost reduction in military expenditure may benefit economic growth. More so, the Wald test validated the asymmetries both in the long- and short term. Capital formation and labor force, as a control variable, positively affected economic growth in the long run. Based on these findings, the paper offers some critical suggestions for policymakers.

МОДЕЛЬ ВЗАЄМОЗВ'ЯЗКУ ОБОРОННИХ ВИТРАТ ТА ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО ЗРОСТАННЯ

Defense spending is one of the most important functions of national security and defense. Defense costs in peacetime may seem too burdensome for the state budget, but their long-term low level has a negative impact on the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On the other hand, the level of defense spending should be such as to create conditions for the development of the country's economy, not to slow it down. Today, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer about the direction of the impact of military spending on economic growth. Many publications mention only the existence of a conditional level to which the increase in military spending contributes to economic growth, but after exceeding it there is a negative impact on economic development. Therefore, the article presents a model of the connection between defense costs and economic growth in the context of reconciling the needs of national security and defense and the need to maintain optimal macroeconomic indicators of the country. The model is based on the analysis of data from 40 countries for the period from 2011 to 2020 in Excel and STATISTICA with the output of the final results in the form of tables. The individuality of the proposed model is that its application allows the analysis of the influence of a number of factors on the results of macroeconomic effects. The theoretical basis for determining the effects of military spending on macroeconomic stability is the theory of economic growth. In the future, the application of the proposed model will provide an opportunity to develop recommendations for increasing the country's economic growth. Further research may focus on finding optimization models for defense spending based on certain standardized macroeconomic proportions.

Savaş Ekonomisinde Vergileme Anlayışı Örneği “Türkiye’de II. Dünya Savaşı Yılları”

Savaş ekonomisi savaş dönemlerinde ülkelerin uyguladığı ekonomi politikalarını bir bütün olarak anlatmak üzere kullanılan bir kavramdır. Savaş ekonomisi yaşayan ülkeler bu süreçte başta yüksek enflasyon olmak üzere üretim azalması, karaborsa, adaletsiz gelir dağılımı gibi sorunlarla uğraşmaktadır. Türkiye II. Dünya Savaşı’na katılmayarak tarafsız kalmıştır. Buna rağmen savaşa sürekli hazır olmak zorunda kaldığından savaş ekonomisi uygulamak durumunda kalmıştır. II. Dünya Savaşı sürecinde askeri harcamaların yükselmesi, ordunun ihtiyaçlarının giderilmesi, ithalatın daralması ekonomik yapıyı olumsuz etkilerken erkek işgücünün savaşa katılması sonucunda kadın ve çocuk emeği yetersiz kalmış ve üretim düşmüştür. Bu dönemde ek askeri harcamaların finansmanı, azalan üretim ve daralan ithalat sorunları, karaborsa, adaletsiz gelir dağılımı, enflasyon ve iaşe sorunları sorun teşkil etmiştir. Bu sorunlar neticesinde yeni vergiler konması ve mevcut vergilerin düzenlemesi düşünülmüştür. Bu kapsamda varlık vergisi, toprak mahsulleri vergisi ve ayni muamele vergisi getirilmiştir. Çalışmada savaş ekonomisi, II. Dünya Savaşı sürecinde Türkiye’de sosyoekonomik yapı ile savaş dönemindeki vergileme anlayışı üzerinde durulacaktır.Anahtar Kelimeler: Savaş Ekonomisi, Savaş, Vergi, Varlık Vergisi, Toprak Mahsulleri Vergisi.JEL Sınıflandırması: H12, H20, H50.

New Evidence for Romania Regarding Dynamic Causality between Military Expenditure and Sustainable Economic Growth

Military spending and sustainable economic development have been widely discussed in recent decades. Especially in Romania, the defense budget is valued at $4.8 billion, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.57%. It is also expected to reach $7.6 billion in 2023, according to a report by Strategic Defense Intelligence. There is no consensus in current research and less attention is paid to Eastern European countries. Considering the significant increase in military spending in Romania in recent years, as well as the occurrence of political events, this paper focuses on the dynamic causal relationship between military spending and sustainable economic growth in Romania. The bootstrap rolling window causality test takes into account the structural changes, and therefore, provides more convincing results. The results indicate negative effects of military expenditure on sustainable economic growth between 1996–1999 and 2002–2004. It can be attributed to the crowding-out effect of public expenditure on private investment. The positive effect between the two variables analyzed is noticed with the accession of Romania to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Conversely, it is found that economic growth does not have a significant effect on military spending in Romania. Policymakers should guard against the crowding out of private consumption and investment due to excessive military spending and ensure to increase military expenditure on the premise of sustainable economic development.

Military Policy of J. Trudeau's Government after Parliamentary Elections 2019: Promises and Reality

Military policy of J. Trudeau's government is prudent and economical. Canada has refused a serious role in UN peacekeeping operations. By 2020 two of the three peacekeeping commitments undertaken by J. Trudeau's government in 2017 were formally fulfilled. In 2018 Canada sent a helicopter squadron to Mali and in 2019 dispatched a military cargo aircraft to Uganda. Both of these two Canadian peacekeeping missions in Africa are limited to one year. Nevertheless the volume of these peacekeeping commitments is so small that it doesn't allow to talk about any serious Canadian participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Canada is also refusing to comply with NATO (and the US) demand for an increase in military spending to 2% of GDP. Prime Minister J. Trudeau like his predecessor S. Harper emphasizes that the role of a country in NATO should not be assessed by the level of military spending as a percentage of GDP but by military contribution of this country in NATO activities. The main impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on Canadian military policy is that J. Trudeau's government may delay or even cancel expensive projects to purchase new military equipment because of massive expenditures for combating the epidemic.