User:Robbiefranklin/Military budget UK

What is the Defence Budget?
The military budget is the governmental spending on UK defence yearly. The defense budget however does not include operational costs: War in Afghanistan and War in Iraq these instead are paid for by the treasury reserve. The reserve provides an additional £9.5 billion to cover operational costs, on top of the defence budget. This includes the £3.6 billion that is approved for urgent operational requirements: to enable commanders on the ground to get equipment when they need it.

Where the money is spent.
Most recently, the defence budget is set to increase from £32.6 billion in 2007/08 to £36.9 billion in 2010/11. This after inflation represents and annual growth of 1.5%. If this growth indeed takes place then the defence budget would be 11% higher that in 1997, and would represent the longest period of sustained growth since the 1980s. However, these figures may be incorrect in the sense that a recession may have causes a rethink in defence spending and therefore the growth may not be as large.

The defence budget includes all three service arms: Royal Air Force Royal Navy British Army it is also true that the UK includes the cost of the UK nuclear deterrent in the cost. However, it is important to note that the UK does not include the cost of the police service in defence spending. This is important because it means that the UK budget is lower than it would actually be i.e The French include the cost of the Gendarmerie in their defence spending.

The extra resources provided in the 2009/10 budget allow the continuation of the two new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, which will be the largest vessels ever operated by the Royal Navy. It also allows more armoured vehicles for the Army and the purchasing of a sixth C17 Globemaster to improve the Royal Air Force's strategic lift capability.

This table shows the projected, previous and current departmental spending in defence for the fiscal year.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/Organisation/KeyFactsAboutDefence/DefenceSpending.htm