Caldari armament industry bemoans further cuts in military spending

The Caldari State has revealed that the budget for the Caldari Navy will be slashed for the 10th consecutive year. A high-ranking official was quoted as saying: “The war with the Federation is long since over and in our estimate there is no imminent threat on the horizon. Besides, our annual spending for CONCORD forces has been on the rise, which counterbalances the cuts for the Navy. We are confident that despite these cuts our Navy will still be more than capable of performing its duty 100%.”

The Caldari armament industry has yet again criticized the decision, claiming that the history of the Caldari people amply demonstrates the need for a strong space fleet and that these cuts are jeopardizing the national security of the State. Furthermore, spokesmen for the armament industry predict these cuts will put small armament companies under and force larger companies to cut down on their R&D efforts, which can seriously affect the technological armament race being held with the Federation and others.

State officials have dismissed these doomsday prophecies, stating that the same claims have been heard for 10 years now, yet the Caldari armament industry has shown no signs of a decline, if anything it has grown over this period. This indicates that the armament companies have adapted to the new situation by finding customers outside the State. Indeed, State officials have gone on the offensive by insisting that the identities of these customers should be revealed, something that the armament companies are unwilling to do.