NATO under pressure as allies cut defense costs
Baku, April 12 (AZERTAC). As defense budgets are slashed in dire financial times, governments increasingly rely on alliances and cooperation with their partners. Instead of going solo, militaries pool resources to increase efficiency.
The financial crisis has put pressure on governments all over the world to drastically cut down expenses. What started five years ago now has started to affect defense budgets. Germany wants to save some 8 billion euros ($10.4 billion) by 2015 by slashing its military budget - and other countries in Europe and within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) see hefty cuts coming their way as well. Security policymakers and experts now hope to increase efficiency - countries should join forces instead of separately carrying out tasks. Defense policy guidelines published by German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere in 2011 stated that if security preparedness had to be handled with narrow means, this calls for a more efficient adjustment of the alliances. In 2012, NATO started its "Smart Defense" project - the EU`s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) calls for the same thing naming it "pooling and "sharing."
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