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Greece has second highest defense spending in NATO after USA

WOW. Greece has the second highest rate in defense spending within the NATO after the USA. This comes from data released on Monday by the North Atlantic Alliance and refers to the period 2009-2016.

NATO1

Greece is one of just five countries whose annual spending on defense exceeds 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product.

The country with the highest spending as a proportion of GDP is the US, with 3.61 percent, followed by Greece with 2.38 percent.

Next comes the UK with 2.21 percent, Estonia with 2.16 percent and Poland with 2 percent.

NATO

Analytically Greece’s Defense Expenditure in

Year   million Euros   % of GDP
2009   7,311                    3.08
2010   5,966                   2.64
2011   4,934                   2.38
2012   4,384                   2.29
2013   3,999                   2.22
2014   3,939                   2.22
2015   4,190                   2.38
2016   4,155                   2.38

When talking about Austerity, then we talk right about all kind of austerity.

NATO has another nice Table about the GDP per Capita (thousands is US Dollar)

Greece
2009   28.5
2010    26.9
2011    24.5
2012    22.8
2013    22.3
2014    22.6
2015    22.6
2016    22.5

Apart from the fact that Greece suffered a sharp decline in GPD per Capita in the years of the crisis -and I’m not wrong by scrolling down the NATO Table -, Greece is the only country that suffered such a decline within the NATO. Not even Portugal or Spain that had to implement austerity cuts.

I also need to note that I have no idea where the NATO has this information claiming that I have 22.500 USD in 2016 while I had 22.600 last year.  .. But hey! that’s the Statistics!

In its Press Release, NATO notes that

Each Allied country’s Ministry of Defence reports current and estimated future defence expenditure according to an agreed definition of defence expenditure, and represent payments actually made, or to be made, during the course of the fiscal year. It also makes use of up-to-date economic and demographic information available from the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. In view of the differences between this definition and national definitions, the figures shown may diverge considerably from those which are quoted by national authorities or given in national budgets. Research and development expenditures related to major equipment are included in equipment expenditures and pensions paid to retirees in personnel expenditures.

The cut-off date for information used in this report is 1 July 2016. Figures for 2016 are estimates.

NATO Data is here in pdf

PS ah, they are estimates… so I have chances to reach 22.5K until the end of the year 🙂

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29 comments

  1. That was also made by Troika?

    • Giaourti Giaourtaki

      To invade Berlin to get the war-debts out not so many tanks are needed anymore… that’s cool but it’s really odd and pervert that neo-liberals use arguments of Peaceniks, it’s also not friendly to your industry. But how can one expect such genius? Screaming in hysteria about 400 Russian air-space violations all over Europe and ignoring 1500 Turkish only in the Aegean means Europe is very, very trust-worthy.

  2. KTG thank you. This is the kind of article one should read to understand the situation in Greece from economic point of view. If you have something about pensiaon reform or reforms in statistical office, or central registry of real estate, that would be very good to read.

    Thanks

  3. Complete madness, this money could be used in far better ways. I just read the article about the homeless family in Patras and wonder what they might think about this horrible waste — but who aks the homeless? Nothing will ever change as long as Greece and the rest of the world is governed by crooks, idiots and the international arms industry.

    • keeptalkinggreece

      need to find my post about the France+Germany agreeing to 1. bailout provided “GR would buy some airplanes etc’

      • Giaourti Giaourtaki

        This was meant originally when Westerwelle cried “do your homework”: “Buy 60 Eurofighter Jets!”

    • It’s organised madness. Look at the power of the military in Egypt and Turkey — in Egypt the military control 50% of GDP. It’s part of being a backward and vulnerable state; it’s also part of being manipulated by the EU into supporting their arms trade, as KTG points out. Instead of helping Greece to recover, the Troika is pushing it back into poverty and third world economic behaviour.

      • OMG. If you have bad day it was Troika for sure:)

        • This comment is not even trying to be rational or intelligent. Just a stupid remark, with no meaning.

          • Hahaha – you wrote “the Troika is pushing it back into poverty” under the article about extremly high military spending in Greece and you write me that I am not rational.

            You must be a humorist:)

          • Giaourti Giaourtaki

            Considering your right wing and neo-lib agenda using Peaceniks’ argumentation lines you must be a nationalistic Turk or someone else who gots interest in destabilization.
            If you have money invest in Raki, call the Raki CATAPULT and produce an ad with aggressive Greek music and drunken tourists shooting their catapults direction Turkish F-16 bombers over Greek beaches; and don’t forget to pay me 5% provision for my brilliant idea!

          • keeptalkinggreece

            it’s brilliant indeed especially the product name

          • Giaourti Giaourtaki

            Thanks a lot!

          • @Tukan: I don’t want to interrupt your discussion, but just a little correction: Xenos’ comment was a reply to my own (see below) and not a comment on the article. The full line is “Instead of helping Greece to recover, the Troika is pushing it back into poverty and third world economic behaviour” and if you look at the current situation you will realise that this is a sad truth.
            I don’t have any sympathy for wasting money for tons of killing machinery and I don’t feel any sympathies for corrupt politicians or childish nationalism. All this is madness as I already wrote and the Greeks who lost their jobs, their homes, their whole future, won’t find any help in Kammenos’ favourite toys. But the critique from the Troika is nothing but sheer hypocrisy if you consider the fact that Germany and France made very big profits with these weapon deals, that nobody there complained about the corruption as long as it was good for the own business. Take a look at the Guardian article that I linked to get a clearer picture — nobody is innocent in this game, but as an old saying goes: People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

          • OK Thomas.

            Howewer it is first of all the high level of corruption in Greece, which is the substance of this problem. Despite Germany and France are making profits, I am sure, that it was (and still it is) possible to buy less military equipments while country is in troubles. Nobody in Europe and NATO wil protest. Especially when we are speaking about tanks submarines and so on. Why they still spend so much? Because they are corrupted so much, not because Lagarde told them “No submarines – no loan”.

            Somebody is making BIG money here, and Greece is corrupted almost like some non funcional african country. There is no space to criticise Troika, Greeks should make their homework. That was my point. (You can see the same signals in Greek reforms – stupid increases of taxes while there is decrease of tax payments from tax payers, instead of real pension reform)

            In any case thank you for reaction

          • BTW any public protests against this wasting?

          • Do you have no comprehension of the high level of corruption that pervades all of Europe and the USA? It is not exactly the same as the Greek style, but it is probably more extensive and more damaging. Arms deals (with Schaueble involved in so many) are part of global corruption; financial corruption has nearly destroyed the global economy and we are still paying the price for the gree of banks. Yet you continue to make foolish and racist comments about the obvious Greek political corruption — which Greek people do not like — while the Troika and European governments are explicitly implicated and continue to promote Greek corruption.
            ~
            Ask yourself one intelligent question (I know it goes against your character): when was the last time you heard the eurogroup or the Troika demanding that Greek politicians be prosecuted for large-scale corruption? Never — because they would in effect be asking for their own prosecution, as criminal cronies.
            ~
            And your hilarious claim “there is no space to criticise the Troika”… Are you really such a conformist dunderhead that you believe all the bullshit that your politicians tell you? Or is it simply that you are a right wing racist who enjoys making foolish attacks on Greece?

          • I am sorry Xenos, but now you wrote under my comment “any public protests against this wasting?” and this is the problem. Greeks can easily save here may be 1,5 % of GDP while they are in troubles, but they do not. They just play victims. Everybody is bad, we poor Greeks.
            We can write goodnight stories (I call it blabla because every looser has his story) about bad capitalists, bad troika, bad …, but the point is GREEKS DO NOT WANT TO SAVE MONEY!!! They do not care even if they can. Neither politicians nor public (protests). There is no will to make reforms. Thus it is their problem that they are falling down.

          • Re: Question. Because it is not their job/mandate. Their job/mandate is lending money and make sure reforms will be done. Greeks politicians must be prosecuted by Greek prosecutors. There is no international body for this yet. As allways – Greeks do not make their job…

          • keeptalkinggreece

            HAHAHA! this is what I call: devoted to Trolling

          • And this malakas refused to answer my question, too! Just trolling with nothing to say except anti-Greek comments.

          • I am troll?
            I showed you, that Greece can easily save 1,5 percent of GDP each year without increasing the social problems and you call this trolling?
            I also answered the so called intelligent question, not the way Xenos suggested, but simply and pragmatically:)

            Well guys, if I am a troll who are you? – unwilling to accept not only facts but even data :))))

          • You failed to answer an important question, because you cannot deal with the reality. You know nothing about Greece and start giving advice??!! Hashaha, go and teach your granny to suck eggs. You are a persistent and ignorant troll.

          • What is the question?

          • Giaourti Giaourtaki

            Don’tcha fall this trap! The moment Greece abolishes her army, Cyprus will invade and no more debts will exist as Greece is not existing any more, she will be an occupied country and part of Great Cyprus.

          • Giaourti Giaourtaki

            Greece needs all these weapons when the people in Greece start a revolution or do you think a real “communist” takeover with power to the people will not lead to invasions by imperialist capitalist lackeys sent by banksters and their politician-muppets screaming “our money”and “British law”?
            Not to mention that this “British law” will make Greeks even more aggressive as still parts of Cyprus are occupied by these nationalist wrong side riders who think Cyprus is still theirs but we all laugh our arses off after the reunion of Cyprus when 10.000 British pensioners will get thrown out of the Greek houses Turks have sold them.

          • Giaourti Giaourtaki

            You’re totally outdated, Greece is not buying submarines, Greece is constructing own submarines because the German submarines sucked so much, they were too yellow.
            The term “homework” indicates that you’re a Kraut, nobody uses this term internationally only German idiots who also translate the other way round “deliver” so wrong that it sounds ugly, just like the term “end of the day” translated word by word so wrong.

        • Giaourti Giaourtaki

          Zombie!!! – It’s every day and more than just bad mood, it’s traumata: With already up to 50.000 people in Greece murdered through Troika-terrorism and 500.000 people left into diaspora, so everybody knows victims or is a terrorists’ victim. As for you having sometimes a bad day must be quiet normality and shows that you’ve no clue at all and are just a zombie or you wanna sell private pensions to people that don’t have money; your actual “reform” means 144 Euros per month since May 13 for thousands and maximal 768 for others.
          eleftherostypos.gr/oikonomia/17489-prosorines-sintakseis-apo-144-euro/

  4. Yes, I think I remember this post… But anyway, it’s a fact that Germany and France are Greece’s main arms suppliers and have therefore a strong interest to keep this madness going. And corrupt politicians like Tsochadzopoulos made it very easy to spend more and more money for this useless rubbish. Here’s an old (but still interesting) Guardian article about this mess and the hypocrisy of France and Germany: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/19/greece-military-spending-debt-crisis
    Not very flattering for my country and France, but also not for Greek politicians. I wonder how the majority of Greek people thinks about this? Do they really think that the country has to spend such enormous amounts for things that don’t do anything good to anybody? My Greek friends share my opinion, but maybe the majority feels more “patriotic”…? But I’m afraid nobody asks the Greek people (and if they are asked, the answer is ignored… remember this “referendum” fraud). Decisions are made behind closed doors, it’s the same everywhere.