JERUSALEM — Israel's government has a marginal role in drafting the
defense budget and no input in determining the size of the army and the
level of training, a new report said.
A report prepared for the annual Caesarea Forum, the economic conference
in Israel, asserted that the Defense Ministry has sole authority in
determining the budget and military requirements. The report by a team
aligned with the Israel Democracy Institute said with the exception of the
defense minister, other members of the Cabinet have been left in the dark
regarding the military and its needs, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Israeli government ministers are not involved in drafting the defense
budget, and have no input in determining the size of the army and the level
of training," the report, released on Feb. 5, said. "The current method by
which Israel's defense budget is drafted does not require decision-makers to
decide on security issues of the first magnitude, and is not conducive to
the taking of a comprehensive, long-term view."
The report was released in wake of the decision by the government of
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for a record 50 billion shekel defense budget for
Israel in 2007. The budget, which does not include $2.2 billion in U.S.
military aid, reflected what the military termed urgent requirements to
rearm in wake of the Israeli war with Hizbullah in 2006.
A panel headed by former Defense Ministry director-general Ilan Biran
determined that the defense budget was hampered by structural flaws and a
lack
of consensus and cooperation between the Defense and Finance ministries. The
panel said the government also has been unable to determine sources of a
proposed multi-year defense budget and military requirements.
"Responsibility should be shared with the defense authorities in the
context of joint discussions, to conclude with full and official approval of
the plans drawn up and of the risks incurred in defining priorities for the
defense budget," the report said. "The team recommends a process to be
spread out over several months during the first half of each year, and to
include the following stages: an intelligence stage, a drafting stage, a
Finance Ministry stage, a government stage, and a Knesset stage."
The report said the multi-year defense budget must include regulations
on its use as well margins. Such an effort would depend on cooperation
between the Defense Ministry and Finance Ministry.
"A multi-year framework would give decision-makers the ability to make
difficult decisions that are currently almost impossible to make," the
report said. "This type of mechanism would decrease friction between the
Finance and Defense ministries.".
