Brazilian military spending improved in profile in the first two years of the government (), but the distortions that mark the expenses of the sector remain untouched.
In the administration of Minister José Mucio Monteiro, and saw the spending on personnel, something rare in the historical series of the sector. There was no revolution and it is necessary to evaluate the performance in the coming years, but it is new.
In 2022, last under (), Brazil placed 6.8% of its defense budget in investments. Last year, there were 7.4%. In amounts corrected by inflation, the heading went from R $ 8.6 billion to R $ 9.2 billion.
The payment of assets and inactive fell from 80% to 78.2% of the total, from R $ 101 billion to R $ 96.6 billion, basically an effect of the lack of readjustment to the category. Civil servants with an impact of R $ 17.9 billion on the payroll.
All data are from the Senate Federal Budgetary Execution System, Siga Brasil, and Treasury. They reflect not the annual forecast only, but what was actually spent: paid authorized amounts and the so -called remains to be paid,
The profile improvement seems marginal, but in public accounts any decimal house weighs a lot. There were previous moments of profile improvement,
In 2019, for example, the military budget had an increase due to the capitalization of a company to manufacture light frigates for the navy.
The dribbling for the program, made in 2018 by the Michel Temer (MDB) government, created an illusory picture where there was 73% personnel spending, 7.5% of investment and 6.8% of the maneuver. The Bolsonaro government but failed.
In all these tax exercises, the rest of the expense is the so -called cost, the other current expenses. In 2022 they were in 13.2% of the total budget; Now in 2024, they rose to 14.2%, or R $ 17.6 billion. In total, the defense expense fell in this biennium, from R $ 126.8 billion to R $ 123.4 billion.
Despite the relative good news, the sector spending persists. Personnel expense follows at an unprecedented level in other countries. Inactive account for 60% of this slice, another distortion.
Attempts to deal with the issue, such as the 2019 military social security reform and the project that will be analyzed by Congress this semester of the uniforms, will not have the ability to change the general staff – for that, a temporary professional soldiers would be a model would be a long -term alternative.
The debate occurs in a truncated way, with the Navy complaints about the new social security rules almost leading to the resignation of his commander. Mucio, who spent two years balancing tense relations between the barracks and Lula, wanted to leave the government,
About investments, the Brazilian standard may have improved, but is below considered ideal by the Western Military Alliance, which advocates 20% of the defense budget for equipment and programs.
In 2014, when he attached her to Crimea, only 8 of the then 28 club members did this. With everything that happened since then, in 2024 only NATO do not reach the goal. Poland, in a frank rearmament, is the record holder, with 51%. The US, the largest military power on the planet, mark 30%.
Not to mention the total target of spending, set since 2006 in 2% of the GDP of each country by NATO, which now presses to yet, if for ten years only three alliance countries arrived there, now there are 23, courtesy of Vladimir Putin. Brazil continues to skating around 1%.
There are also issues related to Brazilian political practices. The North Program has become a depositary of parliamentary amendments of opaque execution for works that are far from any goal linked to the national defense.
In 2023, the northern gutter, always an extra, became the in 2024, was fourth, with $ 720 million spent. As they are values similar to spending in 2023, even though it removing the action of the general account the profile of the expense follows the same.
The situation is so unusual that Lula announced in August to the Ministry of Regional Development. The report questioned the defense about the progress of this and what would happen to the consequent budget hole, but got no response. The folder also did not comment on the budget structure.
In addition, Brazilian military programs follow the pattern established in recent years, without major sobs from spending.
The most expensive strategic project in the country is still the acquisition, which had a disbursement of R $ 1.5 billion in 2024, almost R $ 500 million more than initially authorized.
Here, the obstacles are diverse. The deal for the purchase of 36 aircraft, 15 of which will be made in Brazil, suffered from budget delays by 2019, pushing the delivery of the last device to the beginning of the next decade – eight flying in the country, one for testing.
Last year, dissatisfied with the costs and the Air Force said it could cover the retirement of the AMX Commerical attack aircraft.
For the purchase of more Gripen and the adoption of the KC-390 freighter by Sweden seems to have resolved the subject. The Brazilian manufacturer received R $ 690 million to follow the production of 19 transport aircraft for the FAB, being fifth in the top 5 of 2024.
This is another project marked by anemia of resources by 2019, as well as a debate on costs that opted FAB and Embraer and made 28 aircraft to be reduced. Seven were delivered, and the latter will only be delivered perhaps in 2034, leaving to know the impact of the growing foreign clientele of the model.
Secondly among the most expensive projects is the Navy Conventional Submarine Program, and will deliver the last of four vessels of the French model Scorpène this year, with R $ 960 million expenses – yields works in shipyards (R $ 355 million) and the (R $ 289 million), separately.
Finally, third in the top 5, is an organic program, the control of air traffic by FAB, with R $ 840 million disbursed last year. With this, the ranking repeats 2023, only with this heading surpassing the north rail and the Embraer KC-390.
