The debate on the military budget contained in France's 2019 finance bill, which was approved by parliament in November, has been heated-again. Overall, the government wants to maintain an upward curve for defense spending. However, at the last minute, a controversial change in the planned expenditure for the ministry of armed forces this year undermined the credibility of next year's bill. The move signals the ongoing difficulty for successive governments to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to defense spending.The budget for 2019 stands at €35.9 billion ($40.5 billion), a 5% increase over 2018. Some 450 jobs are to be created, three-quarters of them in intelligence, cyberdefense and information technology. Maintenance spending will benefit from an 8% increase, at €4.2 billion.
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