Optimal Versus Required Defence Spending

The recent rescheduling of the Turkish long-term defence procurement programmes following the economic crisis in the country and the reaction of the Greek authorities to reduce their own by about 25% has become the subject of extensive discussions. The issues involved in such discussions concern the possibility of a causal relationship between the developments in the two countries and the extent to which the two sides entangled, for ages now, in an expensive arms race, can afford a reduction of their defence expenditure. This leads to the next question, which involves the calculation of an “optimal” defence burden providing for maximum security in the face of an outside threat bounded by the constraints imposed by the economy

Optimal Versus Required Defence Spending

The recent rescheduling of the Turkish long-term defence procurement programmes following the economic crisis in the country and the reaction of the Greek authorities to reduce their own by about 25% has become the subject of extensive discussions. The issues involved in such discussions concern the possibility of a causal relationship between the developments in the two countries and the extent to which the two sides entangled, for ages now, in an expensive arms race, can afford a reduction of their defence expenditure. This leads to the next question, which involves the calculation of an “optimal” defence burden providing for maximum security in the face of an outside threat bounded by the constraints imposed by the economy

Optimal Versus Required Defence Expenditure Revisited

The scope of this paper is to supplement our earlier work on the issue concerning the Greek-Cypriot Integrated Defence Doctrine. The term describes a purely defensive dogma the scope of which is to face any form of offensive action against one or both of the allies. It aims, in addition, at defending the strategic and political interests of the two allies in the Aegean Sea and the broader East Mediterranean area in an environment of an arms race against Turkey (Hellenic Ministry of Defence 2000). Given the complexity and multi-disciplinary aspect of this issue we restrict ourselves to focusing on a very interesting aspect of the topic that has not been considered in the literature thus far. What we examine, more specifically, is the relative security contribution of Greece and Cyprus to their alliance and the benefits that each side derives in that respect

Optimal Versus Required Defence Expenditure Revisited

The scope of this paper is to supplement our earlier work on the issue concerning the Greek-Cypriot Integrated Defence Doctrine. The term describes a purely defensive dogma the scope of which is to face any form of offensive action against one or both of the allies. It aims, in addition, at defending the strategic and political interests of the two allies in the Aegean Sea and the broader East Mediterranean area in an environment of an arms race against Turkey (Hellenic Ministry of Defence 2000). Given the complexity and multi-disciplinary aspect of this issue we restrict ourselves to focusing on a very interesting aspect of the topic that has not been considered in the literature thus far. What we examine, more specifically, is the relative security contribution of Greece and Cyprus to their alliance and the benefits that each side derives in that respect