{"id":13797,"date":"2026-07-16T16:21:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=13797"},"modified":"2026-07-16T16:21:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:21:37","slug":"where-defence-money-really-goes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2026\/07\/16\/where-defence-money-really-goes\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Defence Money Really Goes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The composition of military expenditure varies considerably from one country to another, reflecting different strategic choices, structural constraints, and organisational models. Across NATO countries, the allocation of resources among personnel, equipment, infrastructure, and other categories follows no uniform pattern: some defence systems devote a large share of spending to personnel, while others prioritise investment in armaments or allocate a significant proportion of their budgets to residual expenditure.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The chart shows the distribution of military expenditure across its principal components\u2014expressed as a percentage of total spending\u2014for NATO member states, which comprise thirty European countries together with Canada and the United States. Each bar represents one country and is divided into four categories: personnel (including salaries, pensions, and the costs of both military and civilian staff), equipment (the acquisition and modernisation of weapons systems, vehicles, and technologies), infrastructure (bases, buildings, and logistical facilities), and other expenditure. The total height of every bar is always equal to 100 percent, while the internal composition highlights each country’s defence-budget priorities.<\/p>\n

One immediately striking feature is the weight of personnel expenditure. In some cases, this category absorbs more than half of total military spending, as in Greece, Portugal, and Croatia. Italy also records a comparatively high figure, equal to 42.9 percent, although this share has been declining over time. More specifically, in 2025 the Italian armed forces comprised 166,700 personnel, including commissioned officers (21,486), non-commissioned officers\u2014more precisely, warrant officers and lieutenants (56,217)\u2014and enlisted personnel (86,184). A further 2,810 cadets were enrolled in military academies, warrant officer schools, and military colleges. In defence systems of this kind, the scope for investment in other areas is inevitably more limited.<\/p>\n

The pattern is, to some extent, reversed when it comes to equipment expenditure. Countries such as Poland, Luxembourg, and Finland devote a substantial share of their defence budgets to this category, signalling a clear priority in strengthening military capabilities. Italy allocates 25.7 percent of its total military expenditure to equipment.<\/p>\n

Infrastructure spending, by contrast, is generally modest\u2014almost always below 10 percent\u2014with only a few exceptions. Romania and the Czech Republic, for example, record higher levels, reflecting relatively greater investment in military bases, facilities, and logistics.<\/p>\n

A considerable share of the variation across countries is concentrated in the “other” category, which includes a wide range of heterogeneous items that are often difficult to compare directly. Among them are expenditure on military operations, maintenance and support, research and development, digital and information systems, and, in some cases, investment in new technologies. It is therefore not a residual category in the strict sense, but rather a broad grouping encompassing everything that does not fall within the three principal headings. Precisely for this reason, it exceeds 40 percent of total military expenditure in some countries\u2014including Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Norway, and the United States\u2014reflecting defence budgets in which a significant share of resources is devoted to cross-cutting operational functions, technological development, and the maintenance of existing capabilities, rather than to the direct acquisition of new weapons systems or to personnel.<\/p>\n

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The composition of military expenditure varies considerably from one country to another, reflecting different strategic choices, structural constraints, and organisational models. 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