Analysis by Dániel Harangozó
This paper reviews some of the current issues in Croatian military and defence policy in the period 2020-2023. It concentrates on three topics: defence spending trends and major defence modernization projects, the conflict between the Prime Minister and the President and its effects on the defence system, and Croatia’s reaction to the Russia-Ukraine war. The paper concludes that after a longer period of stagnation and decrease, defence spending has shown an increasing trend since 2020-2021. Defence spending as a share of GDP approaches, and the share of equipment expenditure within defence spending exceeds the levels recommended by NATO (2 and 20 percent, respectively). This is mainly the result of a one-off transaction, the purchase of French Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft. Due to the changed security situation in Europe after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, defence spending levels might remain elevated in the future as well. However, the continuous disagreements between the Prime Minister and the President in the defence and security sphere might pose a risk to efficient functioning in this field.
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