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Paris — The 2013 defense budget has been, as expected, held at 31.4 billion euros ($40.1 billion), stable compared withto the previous year, the Defense Ministry said in a Sept. 28 statement.
An extra 300 million euros have been set for operations, including equipment support and fuel, reflecting the withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of this year, the ministry said.
The equipment budget is unchanged at 16 billion euros, although some orders have been suspended pending the publication of the defense white paper and the 2014-2019 multiyear defense law.
Spending on feasibility studies has risen 10 percent, while the nuclear deterrence budget is also maintained.
Some 7,234 jobs will be cut in 2013, as part of a total 54,923 reduction announced for 2009-2014.
