Amid heated debate in Israel over proposed defense budget cuts, local media revealed Wednesday the costs of maintaining the country's security.

Military officials have recently presented the Israeli parliament's foreign policy and defense committee with precise data on the army's operational and training expenses -- down to the cost of a sniper's round, the Yediot Aharonot daily reported.

The report disclosed a "price list" compiled by the military that exposes details of its immense expenditures.

According to the figures, the biggest spender is the Israel Air Force, with a single flight hour in the F-15I -- its most advanced fighter jet -- costing 135,000 shekels (35,000 U.S. dollars) and the "Tamir," a missile that intercepts short-range rockets, costing 230,000 shekels (60,000 dollars) apiece.

The armored corps is also biting deep into the state's coffers. Every kilometer driven with the Merkava IV, one of the world's best battle tanks, guzzles 4,300 shekels (1,100 dollars) while the cost of a four-day-long armored brigade's training maneuver can reach 12 million shekels (3.1 million dollars).

Other costs include 560 to 1,600 dollars for an artillery shell; 1.9 million dollars for a brigade-level infantry maneuver; 27 dollars for a one-kilometer ride in an armored personnel carrier; and a modest 0.35 dollar for a standard 5.56 mm rifle cartridge.

Israel's military spending, among the largest per capita in the world, has been the subject of bitter controversy between the defense and finance ministries in recent months.

Late last year, the government announced plans to slash 3 billion shekels (780 million dollars) from the defense budget in 2012 and 2013 in order to fund a host of social welfare programs. In December, however, parliament's finance committee approved a transfer of 200 million dollars to the defense ministry, boosting its budget to a record high of 16 billion dollars in 2011.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz have traded blows in the media, with the former arguing that thinning his ministry's budget in the face of mounting regional threats would hamper the military's ability to adequately defend the country in wartime. Barak and Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz have also said that the defense budget is dragging a deficit of 2.30 billion dollars that will likely affect missile defense programs.

Steinitz, a staunch advocate of reducing defense spending, demanded greater oversight of the army's financial planning.