Why did Jordan increase its military spending in the new budget?

The Jordanian Parliament approved the largest military budget in the country's history, worth $2 billion (Al Jazeera)

Amman -

The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip played a pivotal role in the performance of Jordan's general budget for the year 2024, by directing it in a way that enables the local economy to confront the effects of the war and its consequences.

Today, Wednesday, by a majority of 89 votes out of 114 representatives who attended the session, the House of Representatives approved the general budget law, which was considered the largest in the country’s history in terms of military spending.

Despite the economic conditions the Kingdom is experiencing, the volume of its defense spending in the new budget has increased significantly to about two billion dollars out of a total of 17 billion dollars.

Geopolitical circumstances

According to observers, developments in the military and security situation in the region forced Jordan to increase the volume of military spending and modernize its weapons and military equipment.

Jordanian military expert, retired Major General Mamoun Abu Nawar, believes that the current geopolitical circumstances were a major reason for increasing the military budget.

He told Al Jazeera Net that expectations of the possibility of a regional conflict erupting in the region or the occurrence of military or security developments "force us to increase the military budget." He pointed out that the Jordanian Armed Forces always need to modernize their weapons and military equipment, explaining that "its financial cost is very high."

The military expert spoke about the threats related to Jordan's northern border with Syria, in terms of smuggling drugs or weapons through the marches.

He explained that drones have changed the concepts of war, which makes Amman urgently need to obtain missile launchers such as Patriots that are capable of threatening and deterring any neighboring country in the event of a conflict.

Supportive budget

In his speech before the House of Representatives, Jordanian Finance Minister Muhammad Al-Issis stressed that "the preparation of the draft law came under unprecedented circumstances as a result of the Israeli aggression against Gaza and the occupied West Bank."

He added that Jordan's firm position, by virtue of its emotional, historical and organic connection to the Palestinian issue, confirms that Amman will remain at the forefront of defenders of Arab and Islamic issues.

The government official pointed out that the 2024 budget “included the highest historical level of capital spending allocations, and the highest financial allocations for our security services and armed forces.” He explained that it came "in support of Jordan's honorable political position, defending the right to Gaza, its children, and Al-Aqsa Mosque and its sanctities."

This new budget comes weeks after agreeing with the International Monetary Fund on a 4-year reform program worth $1.2 billion.

On the other hand, economic expert Amer Al-Shoubaki confirmed that the threats on the northern border with Syria and the western border with the Israeli occupation and the attempt to destabilize the country, and the movement of various military units along the borders with Syria and occupied Palestine, contributed to raising the financial costs of the Jordanian Armed Forces.

Regarding the impact of approving the largest military budget in Jordan in light of the difficult economic conditions the country is experiencing, Al-Shobaki told Al Jazeera Net that this will reflect negatively on spending on important sectors such as health and education, especially since the financial deficit in the budget reached 114% of the gross domestic product. This reduced the government's scope for spending on vital sectors that people need.

Jordanian army patrols on the border with Syria to prevent drug smuggling (French)

A fiery neighborhood

According to previous government statements, the 2024 draft budget succeeded in reducing the primary deficit for the fourth year in a row, and the government will be able to reduce it to reach 812 million dinars, at a rate of 2.1% of the gross domestic product, compared to 2.6% in 2023.

Jordan and Israel are linked by a common border of 400 kilometers long, but the Israeli threat does not alone constitute a reason to increase the size of the military budget, as the country has been suffering for years from a turbulent and turbulent neighborhood in the north and east, whether in terms of drug or weapons smuggling from Syrian territory, or the presence of “militias.” Close to Iran in Iraq.

According to official figures reported on the General Budget Department website, Jordanian military spending exceeds $1.8 billion annually, constituting 5% of the gross domestic product, and Jordan is ranked fifth in terms of its military spending in the region compared to this output.

The founding of the Jordanian Armed Forces dates back to 1920, and the Jordanian Army fought several wars in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, most notably the “Battle of Karameh.”

The Jordanian army consists of the ground and special forces, the Royal Guard, the maintenance corps, the infantry corps, armor, artillery, air defense and engineering, the air force, and the naval force.

The Jordanian Air Force owns 260 warplanes, including 46 fighters and 74 attack aircraft, in addition to military cargo and training aircraft.

Source: Al Jazeera