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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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El Salvador
Index
The allocation of government spending changed markedly after
1978, mainly as a result of the civil conflict. While
expenditures on education and health fell as a share of total
government spending, military spending rose dramatically.
Military
The percentage of total government expenditures on the
Salvadoran military increased from 6.6 percent in 1972 to 28.7
percent in 1986. Most of this increase was a result of the
country's civil conflict and the need to establish and maintain
the 59,000-member armed forces and security forces
(see Defense Budget
, ch. 5). If one also considers the military's operating
expenditures (wages and purchases of goods and services related
to national security), military spending increased from 22.2
percent of all government outlays in 1980 to 47.3 percent in
1986.
The huge amounts spent on counterinsurgency were further
underscored when one considers foreign military aid; as much as
75 percent of the US$2.5 billion in United States assistance
between 1980 and 1986 may have been applied directly or
indirectly to the war effort. A study released in late 1987 by
the bipartisan Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus of the
United States Congress alleged that aid targeted for
"stabilization, restoration, and humanitarian needs" was being
used instead to repair damage, thus freeing more of the
Salvadoran budget for military expenditures. The caucus advocated
stricter measures to ensure that aid was used to improve health
care, nutrition, and education.
Data as of November 1988
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