#7
Moskovsky Komsomolets
October 24, 2002
DEFENSE SPENDING SECRETS
Open secrets of the military have been revealed
Author: Yuri Gavrilov
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]

THE DUMA HAS MANAGED TO LIFT SECRECY RESTRICTIONS ON SOME DEFENSE SPENDING ITEMS. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THERE WAS NOTHING SECRET IN THE ITEMS DECLASSIFIED. MEANWHILE, THE REMAINING SECRETS LEAD TO CONTRADICTORY ESTIMATES OF WHETHER DEFENSE SPENDING IS SUFFICIENT.

Whenever there is any talk of declassifying the items of the Russian defense budget, the military resists. However, the year-long battle of the parliament with the Defense Ministry has produced an effect - specific enforcement structure spending figures first reached the Duma last week.

Basically, the deputies had demanded declassifying 65% of the "military" items. However, the public item list on, for instance, the Defense Ministry has currently made only 59 items out of 850. According to Duma defense committee chairman Andrei Nikolaev, "pursuant to the government decision declassifying concerns expenses on current maintenance and outfit of the armed forces, interior agencies, and the federal Border Service (FPS), as well as complete expenses of the Federal Taxation Police Sevice (FSNP)".

A few more "military" items of the budget are scheduled to be made public next year. Only some 10% of expenses will remain completely closed - secret designing, funding of the Main Intelligence Administration (GRU), and the like.

The Duma has gained its ends, but the deputies do not hurry up to celebrate victory. First, they are not satisfied with the terms to study the document - a little more than a month. Second, there are doubts concerning the urgency of the published items (for example there is yet no knowing how much we annually waste on the Chechen war). Be that as it may, but something prevents from believing in the transparency of the hurriedly (and plainly selectively) declassified defense budget.

We have been able to get the public item list. Here are some of the items. Next year, 4.73 billion rubles is planned to be allocated for clothing allowance, 66.227 billion rubles for money allowance, 21.66 billion for subsistence, and 55.246 billion rubles for combat training and logistic support. The Defense Ministry's funding along the line of development work may reach 45.5 billion rubles, purchase of arms and military materiel - 52.2 billion rubles, repair - 9.1 billion rubles, special construction - 11.9 billion rubles, etc.

Is it much or little?

The Duma defense committee has counted that the draft budget for 2003 lacks at least 18.8 billion rubles to ensure the defense needs. Two years ago the Security Council resolved defense spending could not be less than 2.84% of GDP. The Finance Ministry has currently on its own brought it down to 2.56%, hence the nearly 20 billion gap.

The Duma committee for defense: "The funds for subsistence include rations in kind and mess board for 67% of the service people. For the rest, it is suggested to substitute a 48-50 ruble food kit with a 20 ruble compensation in money. The draft budget provides for ensuring the military only with camp uniform. Only half of the necessary funds will be apportioned for the vacation or treatment trips of the military and their families. The same concerns cargo transportation (meanwhile, the Defense Ministry's debt to transporters has currently reached almost 3 billion rubles). Accommodation, medical and sanatorium-and-spa treatment for the military will be financed only by 50% next year".

To cut it short, not enough money has been allocated to the military, in the view of the defense committee. However, even a cursory examination of the public item list rouses doubts that the scanty funds apportioned are distributed in items with flawless expediency.

For example, it turns out the maintenance of the military administration institutions will cost the taxpayers 1.5 times as much as the aggregate expenses of the Defense Ministry on education, schools and preschool institutions for the children of the military, sanatoria, boarding houses, and holiday centers. Some expenditure is perplexing, to put it mildly. Thus, the Defense Ministry will allocate a total of 3 million rubles for the state program for patriotic upbringing of the Russian citizens in 2001-2005. It turns out, love of the homeland will cost the military five rubles per Russian head annually!

Comparing the planned national defense expenditure with that of the last few years is quite another matter.

Judging by the rapid leap of 136 billion rubles (from 2001 to 2003), the state either creates hothouse conditions for the military or notably increases its defense power. However, it is neither this nor that in reality. The military have not grown richer because of the summer rise in the money allowance and simultaneous abolishment of a number of privileges. As far as the maintenance of the army is concerned, expenses on it must go down every year in theory, since we've been trumpeting reduction in the armed forces for quite a few years already, haven't we?

And food for thought once again. Expenses on the mentioned item of maintaining the military administration institutions have grown by two-thirds over the last three years - from 912 million rubles in 2001 to 1.526 billion in 2003. Sure enough, the Russian generals care about themselves.

What actually was so secret in the figures voiced? What kind of an open secret, why the deputies and the taxpayers were prevented from it until very recently?

Andrei Nikolaev, chairman of the Duma defense committee: "It's hard to say. In any case, one cannot speak about declassifying military or state secrets - Russia annually provides the UN approximately the same data".

However, Nikolaev finds it useful that some defense budget items have been made public: "Today not only the deputies, but also every taxpayer can learn how much money is spent for example on medical care of the military or their board. Not only know - but really evaluate the poverty into which the army has been plunged. For example, monthly expenses of public healthcare cost the state $9, while this sum for the military does not exceed $4 apiece. A daily food basket is estimated at 60 rubles on average in the country, while "ration" pays in the army as before make 20 rubles a day".

The plain contradiction in the estimations of the military budget by our chief defense experts is just another evidence that not everything is that simple in this kingdom, not everything is that unambiguous. However, this idea is best confirmed with the attitude to the battles between the Duma and government of those whom they are supposed to care about - garrison slogger officers. "We have no trust in any one already," service people from the Vidnoe settlement (Moscow region) wrote us. "Officers have been promised and cheated so many times that their patience has given way. Let those who hang about the bureaucratic pork break a lance over the budget. Our wallets will gain nothing from either public or secret defense items..."

(Translated by P. Pikhnovsky)

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