Optimal Versus Required Defence Expenditure Revisited

The scope of this paper is to supplement our earlier work on the issue concerning the Greek-Cypriot Integrated Defence Doctrine. The term describes a purely defensive dogma the scope of which is to face any form of offensive action against one or both of the allies. It aims, in addition, at defending the strategic and political interests of the two allies in the Aegean Sea and the broader East Mediterranean area in an environment of an arms race against Turkey (Hellenic Ministry of Defence 2000). Given the complexity and multi-disciplinary aspect of this issue we restrict ourselves to focusing on a very interesting aspect of the topic that has not been considered in the literature thus far. What we examine, more specifically, is the relative security contribution of Greece and Cyprus to their alliance and the benefits that each side derives in that respect.