{"id":54774,"date":"2017-09-27T15:36:59","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T15:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/09\/27\/france-adds-2b-to-2018-defense-budget\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:05:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:05:51","slug":"france-adds-2b-to-2018-defense-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2017\/09\/27\/france-adds-2b-to-2018-defense-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"France adds $2B to defense budget, moving closer to NATO spending target"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PARIS \u2015 France has added \u20ac1.8 billion (U.S. $2.1 billion) funding to its 2018 defense budget to hit \u20ac34.2 billion as part of a planned rise in military spending over the next five years, the Economy and Finance Ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asset sales will add further funds to bring total defense spending next year to \u20ac34.4 billion, the ministry added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That 2018 budget compares to an initial 2017 defense budget of \u20ac32.7 billion, which recently took an unexpected cut of \u20ac850 million on equipment orders in a bid to trim government spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u20ac1.8 billion boost will raise defense spending to 1.82 percent of gross domestic product, compared to 1.77 percent this year, in an attempt to reach some \u20ac50 billion by 2025, excluding pensions, which is the 2 percent target set by NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\t