28 October 2021

Morocco increases defence budget with more procurement expected

by Charles Forrester

Morocco has been upgrading and modernising its military capabilities, including those fielded by its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. (Lockheed Martin)

Morocco's draft 2022 budget was presented to the country's Finance and Economic Development Committee on 25 October, with the defence budget increasing by 4.77% on the 2021 defence budget.

Janes analysis of the Moroccan budget for the National Defence Administration and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (RMAF) shows that Morocco's core defence budget is rising by 6.07% from MAD47.44 billion (USD5.17 billion) to MAD50.32 billion, driven largely by personnel spending increasing by 7.77% to MAD37.76 billion.

Additional investment in the military from other sources is bringing the overall total defence expenditure to MAD63.04 billion, a 4.77% increase on 2021's budget. Overall spending is anticipated to be 17.62% of government expenditure in 2022, down from 18.15%.

Article 34 of Projet De Loi De Finances 76-21 Pour L'annee Budgetaire 2022 (Finance Bill 76-21 For Budget Year 2022) also increased the maximum ceiling for the procurement of equipment for the RMAF by 4.15% to MAD115.55 billion. The article noted that the increase in the ceiling budget was in anticipation of additional procurements in 2023. While the procurement authorisation is significantly higher than the defence budget, this facility is understood to have never been drawn to its maximum, and functions as an emergency ceiling in case of a sudden requirement for military expenditure.

Morocco's draft 2022 budget was presented to the country's Finance and Economic Development Committe...

Jane's Find unrivaled intelligence, consultancy and advertising solutions to the defence and national security sectors.