The Ministry of Defense said today that it will meet, and even exceed, the Brodet Committee's 10-year streamlining target of NIS 30 billion. The ministry said that yesterday's media reports about demands for new budget supplements were incorrect.
"The defense establishment is undertaking extensive and unprecedented streamlining," said the Ministry of Defense. "In response to the incorrect reports in some of the media, the ministry clarifies that the defense establishment has not asked for any supplement to the defense budget."
Yesterday, the media reported that even though the defense establishment had not streamlined in accordance with the Brodet Committee guidelines, it had received NIS 13 billion in budget supplements.
The Ministry of Defense said in response, "The defense establishment's position was and remains that the Brodet Committee recommendations should be implemented. Every economic measure published by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bureau of Statistics prove that the defense budget has steadily declined as a proportion of the state budget and of GDP.
"The ministry has no intention of being dragged into a superficial debate on these or other numbers, but will hold a substantive and thorough discussion in the cabinet about the missions and challenges facing the State of Israel and the defense establishment, and the significance of the weapons systems and personnel derived from them."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 14, 2012
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