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In PHOTO: Cadets for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point class of 2018 participate in physical exercises during Reception Day in West Point, New York July 2, 2014. During Reception Day, the new cadets begin the process of becoming West Point cadets and future U.S. Army officers. They undergo administrative processing, fittings for their initial issue of military clothing, receive haircuts, medical and physical evaluations and begin their first lessons in marching, military courtesy and discipline. Reuters

The Canadian military is spending more but a matching level of efficacy is not in sight, says a study conducted by the QMI Agency, a division of Quebecor Media Inc. It says the defence budget is consumed more by soaring administrative expenses and fat salaries. The study cautions that the alarming trend of rising salaries for the top brass is unmatched by what their peers get in other countries.

As a result, a huge chunk of the military budget is eaten up by administrative expenses. The Armed Forces' have an average annual budget of $20 billion. The unproductive spending, the QMI study notes, sounds paradoxical when equipment crunch is pinching the forces, reported Ottawa Sun. The study also notes one fourth of soldiers are executives. That ratio is also skewed from the NATO point of view. Despite Canada's military budget being one of the top 20 in the world, there are 70 other countries, having more soldiers than Canada.

The salaries of Canadian soldiers are double that of those in similar ranks in other western countries. Canada's starting salary for a sergeant is $64,992, unlike a French soldier of the same rank, who gets only $26,380.

Not Matching Efficiency

The study quotes a veteran for more insight. Retired colonel Michel Drapeau served 34 years in the Canadian Forces. He says he is very concerned with the current situation. He said the problem is not on more money getting spent, but the issue is, whether the amount is really showing up in the military's effectiveness. As per NATO data, half of the defence budget in Canada goes into the salary of soldiers, administrative personnel, and in pensions. This expenditure is more than 15 percent of what the American and British forces normally spend.

Low On Equipment

At the same time, there is an acute neglect in spending for equipment. The spending on equipment is about 14.7 percent of the total budget. This is amidst the struggle of the forces to replace ageing naval fleet and rusting aircraft. For equipment, the U.S. spends 24.7 percent of its military budget and in France it is 28.6 percent and the United Kingdom spends 23.1 percent.

Drapeau blames the Canadian Parliament for poor monitoring of the military spending. He says the American system is more efficient as the Congress keeps a close watch on how the money is being spent. "The problem is in the tight-knit military that operates in complete secrecy," Drapeau said.

Higher Suicide Rates

Meanwhile, the Canadian forces also came in for criticism for their soaring suicide rates. This was raised by a psychiatric expert at a conference in Ottawa. Dr. Antoon Leenaars dismissed the claim by Canada's military and political brass that suicide rates in military are lower than the general population. "I think it is whitewashing the problem that is at epidemic proportions," he added. Leenaars, is a Windsor-based consultant on suicide prevention. He said the Canadian military is yet to do a credible, peer-reviewed research into the suicide rates in armed forces, reported Ottawa Citizen.