Making a killing
This year’s defence budget has been set at PLN2.475bn. It may however get a further PLN237m from the sale of UMTS licences.
NATO secretary general Lord Robertson said at his recent visit to Poland that the most important thing is not the amount that is spent but the way in which the money is used. Currently 60 percent of the budget is used for keeping the armed forces at is current state, 25 percent for pensions and only 11 percent for purchases. New money could therefore be used for making arms acquisitions, which in this case would increase their percentage of budget outflow from eleven to up to 25 percent. This year the military is therefore likely to spend PLN715m on new equipment. On top of this repairs will take PLN372m, spare parts PLN114m and research and development PLN226m. New tenders are about to be announced by the ministry of defence. A new transport aircraft is likely to be bought soon. Negotiations with the Spanish CASA as the only company that put in what the ministry has termed a satisfactory offer will be started once the defence department agrees. The army is also likely to buy Leopard II tanks from Germany.