Defence minister opposes further cuts in military spending

Prague, June 26 (CTK) - The Czech Republic must not continue with cutting its defence budget as this may endanger its security, Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) said at the Zofin Forum for military and armament industry representatives yesterday.

The soldiers must be rightly remunerated for their work, Vondra said.

The defence should invest in viable and well-planned projects, he added.

The military's modernisation should continue in a rational spirit, Vondra said, adding that in the future, NATO will focus more on the protection of its members.

"Due to the cuts, we are on the brink of threatening national security," Vondra said.

"In the short run, we may save a couple of billions, but in the long run, we can cause irreparable damage," he added.

Vondra said due to the austerity effort, the military would have to cut the capabilities it had now. '"This would result in the excellently trained troops we have leaving and never returning," he added.

This year, the Defence Ministry was to receive 43.5 billion crowns. But now it must save 1.4 billion crowns.

According to a plan for next year, the Defence Ministry is to receive 38.8 billion crowns and 35.7 billion in 2014.

NATO demands that its members contribute at least 2 percent of their GDP to defence. The Czech Republic has been unable to meet the demand for a long time. Last year, its defence spending amounted to 1.15 percent of GDP.

The Defence Ministry is to spend money on well-planned projects and the military's modernisation should be implemented in the most rational way, Vondra said.

Experts and the media have called many projects from the past such as military purchases overpriced.

The Defence White Paper says that the purchase of equipment often lacked a concept.

Vondra said in the future, NATO would increasingly focus on the protection of its member states rather than military interventions in the world.

He said the number of armed conflicts was going to increase in the forthcoming period.

Vondra said the "Arab Spring" had brought more instability than security to international politics.

The current situation in Syria is endangering the whole Middle East region, he added.

($1=20.669 crowns)