French military sees no respite from budget nightmares after Mali operation; U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: US-UK aircraft carrier cooperation mutually rewarding
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  • According to reports, the recent French offensive in Mali against Islamist fighters is likely to prolong and this puts the defence ministry under severe budgetary strain. The defense budget was expected to get relief from the withdrawal of French forces from Afghanistan, but the latest involvement in Mali does not augur well for the defence ministry budget plans. While replying to a question on how much the week-old operation would cost, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, “I cannot evaluate that yet. It will all be public knowledge of course.” The French defense ministry’s external operations budget for 2013 is 630 million Euros, about 90 million less than last year owing to anticipated savings from the Afghan withdrawal, but the anticipated savings may not fructify in the event of a prolonged involvement of France along with EU in Mali. 1
    In another development, according to reports, a U.S.-U.K. effort to make sure aircraft carriers can operate together seamlessly is a model other initiatives between the British and American militaries, U.S. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. Through this partnership — known as Integrated Aircraft Carrier Cooperation — the U.S. Navy is helping its British counterparts develop a next generation carrier. The group also looks at ways to make existing aircraft carriers more interoperable. “That is a model for the kind of cooperation we want to engage in in the future,” Panetta said during a Jan. 19 briefing after a meeting with British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond. This type if cooperation is important now more than ever, Panetta said, particularly as defense spending in each nation shrinks. 2

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