Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The defense budget: an extension of 3.8 billion euros … – The World

Defence Council at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 29th.

between security imperatives and budgetary requirements, the president has personally ruled, and held to the stage. “The safety, security, independence are principles that are not negotiable” , explained François Hollande to evoke the arbitration he personally presented the morning of Wednesday, April 29, at Following a Defence Council which were also invited the Ministers of Economy and Finance, Emmanuel Macron and Michel Sapin.

The Sentinel operation is perpetuated. “In 2015, the Department of Defense appropriations, $ 31.4 billion, (…) are safe havens. These are budgetary appropriations, without any use of external resources “, said Mr. Holland, meaning that the army will not resort to project companies.

For the next four years, the military planning law (LPM) refreshed, to be presented to Cabinet on 20 May, provides for “3.8 billion of additional funds” , the chief said the state, part of which will come from the savings realized by the Ministry of Defence. “This is a major effort, it is even a considerable effort” , he continued. This led therefore presented the choice of Mr. Holland: “a fine calculation made in the light of the two priorities of our security and fiscal sovereignty, but a free arbitration” , according to the Elysee.

A presidential anticipated arbitration

To say that the president was awaited is an understatement. “It is not to choose between Le Drian and fir, but to choose the interests of France” , had certainly tried to sweep the head of state this week, before his visitors. The meeting of the Defence Council had nonetheless, this time preceded by an exceptional rise in pressure between Bercy and the Hotel de Brienne.

To the point that even the closest collaborators of the Head of State were – officially – kept out of final arbitration, until the last minute. “The president really wanted to master the communication, as Caesar his plan to burn anyone knowing it, to avoid power games” , slipping one of his advisors.

Read also: Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of the faithful and VRP armaments

Two presidential imperatives faced. The first, the need for France to cope with the growing terrorist threat in the world and in the country. The military planning law (LPM) 2014-2019 adopted in 2013 provided for an annual budget of 31.4 billion euros for the defense and the suppression of 33,675 positions. The army considered necessary to preserve 18,500 to be able to meet its operational commitments, both outside and within the framework of the Sentinel operation which requires mobilizing a permanent protection force of 7,000 men .

It’s additional requirements amounted to 8 billion euros. She got 3.8. The 18,500 held positions on 34,000 departures were confirmed in the morning by the Elysee

Read decryption. The defense budget, new yard post -Charlie

“No war-Sapin Le Drian”

The second, budget balances and public finance stability program on which France s’ has undertaken vis-à-vis the European Commission, for a further period of two years to bring its deficit to below 3% of gross domestic product. The government introduced a program to reduce public spending by 50 billion euros in three years, voted by Parliament. It intends to adhere strictly to it.

At the heart of these two irreconcilable issues, the two ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian defense and Michel Sapin finance, both close to the president. “We must stop talking of a fir-Le Drian war” , irritated the Minister of Finance. But at the Hotel de Brienne, it was appropriate that it was “two contradictory mandates” , summarizes the entourage of the Minister of Defence:

“Of course we must stabilize public accounts and reduce the deficit. But in January, there were also attacks in France … “

Had just piggyback addition to budget planning armed the question of exceptional resources (REX). For 2015, sales to mobile operators of radio frequencies very high speed was expected to reach 2.2 billion euros of additional resources. That may be lacking if the sale does not occur before the end of the year. And the army needs cash this summer if it does not want to be in default for equipment it plans to acquire.

The defense had considered using companies project (SPV) that would buy the equipment and would hire the armies. A hypothesis which Mr Sapin was strongly opposed and which was therefore rejected.



“All that and more will go somewhere else within”

Less than slicing an ideological orientation, it was essentially to place the cursor with a budget goldsmith precision. “It’s not a choice between two different models or two philosophies, such as between Valls and Taubira on penal reform. Rather than “what for”, the subject is: Bercy where he finds the necessary resources? “ says does one in the entourage of the Minister of Defence.

“We do not completely agree on the estimation of resources and the estimation of savings” , replies Mr Sapin.

Bercy, if a budget extension is granted to the armies, they can also achieve savings through a virtually zero inflation and lower energy prices. Other question, not secondary, ventilation time of budget appropriations to be allocated to defense, knowing, as summarized in the Minister of Finance, that “all that and more will go somewhere else within” .

Taking willingly since the Serval operation in Mali, in January 2013, and especially since the attacks in Paris in January 2015, a regal posture and safe, the president has therefore not exception to this policy increasingly assertive, and has personally endorsed, happy to endorse once again the martial uniform:

“I took these decisions as army chief in a budgetary context that everyone knows, j ‘have made this choice because it is that of France, for his protection and security. “

Read the analysis: Security: martial side of hollandisme

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