Many people have many ideas and concepts on what an economic recession actually is. To many people, an economic crisis is when there is a shortage of credit or it is an economic crisis when the stock market crashes or when a country goes into severe debt. All these are actually outcomes of a recession and not causes of a recession.
Economists define an economic recession as a period of time where there is reduced economic activity. It is referred to as the ‘recessionary phase of the economy’. What it basically means is that there is reduced production and consumption at this point of time.
We all know what the outcomes of a recession are. There is much lesser commercial activity, people lose jobs, and there is a shortage of credit, the stock market crashes, countries go into debt and a lot more.
In any country, there are 2 very important attributes. One is the economic capability and the other is the military capability. Both of these are essential for the prosperity of a country. Both of these attributes are interdependent. For a good economy, you need to secure it with astrong military and in order to sustain a strong military you need to have a good economy. Needless to say, that any problems in the economy will directly or indirectly affect the military
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During an economic recession, the military will feel the pinch of it. Any military requires funds to sustain it. Most militaries get their funds from their respective national governments.
During a recession, the government faces shortages in its budget. Many countries see negative growth. The government will be forced to cut down on their spending. Needless to say, the military is hit with the recession too. Most countries import their weapons from the few countries which manufacture weapons. Weapon procurement programs come to a standstill. Even the countries that produce weapons are affected as countries reduce their purchases of weapons.
The military is forced to spend much lesser on training and maintenance. Lesser military exercises are conducted. Even recruitment is not encouraged very much at this time. All military spending is carefully monitored and is reduced as far as possible.
The reader must note that this does not mean that there is a cut or a compromise in the quality or there is a complete downsizing. To many national governments, National security is a priority which cannot be ignored or compromised even at the time of an economic crisis. Only unnecessary costs are cut and effort is made to ensure the quality.
Sometimes, an economic recession can alter the entire focus, goal and objective of the military. For example, most militaries before the recession focused on preparedness for full-fledged war. However, the recession forced most militaries to change their focus to terrorism and national security.
Therefore, we can see that the economic crisis does have a large impact on the military. It is a feat to sustain a strong military in the absence of a strong economy.
Written by vanguard76
Part time writer and student from India
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