Brunei’s defence budget rises
Brunei’s defence budget will grow nearly 5% in 2016-17, as announced by the Brunei Legislative Council last week.
The total defence budget amounts to BN$564.7 million (US$408 million), or approximately 2.5% of GDP. With the overall national budget being cut by $800 million in 2016-17, defence should not be too disappointed with this rise.
However, it must be remembered that this incremental rise comes on top of last year’s 25% slash in expenditure enforced upon the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). It should also be noted that this cut came about as part of a budget restructuring, where much capital spending
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