BUDGET ISSUES
Brazil's military budget pays more for the past than for the present
Pensions are the highest earmark of Brazil's defense spending. Photo: Sgt. Marcus Vinicius Campos Peres/Army
Brazil's 2027 budget bill sets aside BRL 35.28 billion (USD 6.42 billion) for retired members of the armed forces, slightly more than the BRL 35.06 billion it will pay troops on active duty, according to Senate budget data compiled by SIGA Brasil, a budget transparency tool. Add BRL 28.63 billion in pensions for military survivors, and the bill for people who no longer serve reaches BRL 63.92 billion, or 43% of the entire defense sector.
The figures come as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepares for a fourth term, in which he has promised to make the country's military ready for current geopolitical tensions. "I want Brazil's armed forces well prepared in terms of firepower, weaponry and scientific and technological know-how, so that we can hold our heads high," he said in July.
During the presidential campaign, Lula pitched the defense industry as…
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