Iraqi lawmaker proposes independent budget for air defense forces

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A member of Iraq's parliamentary Security and Defense Committee has proposed separating the air defense and air force budget from the Defense Ministry's general budget to secure sustainable funding. Haydar al-Muhyawi said current parliamentary sentiment favors requiring the state to allocate an independent allocation for air defense. Al-Muhyawi argued the Defense Ministry needs to expand its technical, intelligence and armament capacity rather than its manpower, warning that voluntary recruitment would carry high costs. He also accused certain local political actors of blocking the armament of the Iraqi armed forces in line with outside agendas. His remarks came after the first reading of a Compulsory Military Service bill and amid a petition campaign highlighting fiscal and staffing concerns across Iraq's security institutions, which together employ about 1.6 million people. Security analysts noted that warfare is shifting toward cyber and electronic domains, reducing the need for traditional manpower. Iraq's existing air defense network relies on short-range systems, including U.S.-made Avenger batteries and Russian-built Pantsir-S1 units. While Baghdad is in talks with France on a $3 billion purchase of 14 Rafale F4 jets, pressure from Israel and the United States over long-range Meteor missiles has pushed Chinese J-10 and Pakistani JF-17 alternatives into the discussion.