Global Military Spending Hits $1.2 Trillion

Reuters 11jun2007

STOCKHOLM — Global military spending rose 3.5 percent last year to $1.2 trillion as U.S. costs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan mounted, a European research body said on Monday in an annual study.

The United States spent $529 billion, slightly less than the entire GDP of the Netherlands, on military operations in 2006, up 5 percent over the previous year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest year book.

"Taking both immediate and long-term factors into account, the overall past and future costs until year 2016 to the USA for the war in Iraq have been estimated at $2,267 billion," it said.

Military spending in China, which is modernizing its People's Liberation Army, climbed to an estimated $49.5 billion last year from $44.3 billion in 2005.

"China's military expenditure continued to increase rapidly, for the first time surpassing that of Japan and hence making China the biggest military spender in Asia and the fourth biggest in the world," the institute said.

The institute, which conducts independent research on international security, armaments and disarmament, said Japan cut military expenditure in 2006 for a fifth year running and was focusing its military budget primarily on missile defence.

China and Japan, Britain and France accounted for about 4 to 5 percent each of global military expenditure last year, SIPRI said. The five biggest spenders' share of global military expenses was nearly two-thirds of the total.

The United States and Russia were the largest arms suppliers in 2002 through 2006, each accounting for about 30 percent of global shipments, while deliveries from EU members made up another 20 percent, the institute said.

"Almost 50 percent more conventional weapons, by volume, were transferred internationally in 2006 than in 2002, according to data gathered by SIPRI," it added.

China and India remained the largest arms importers in the world, while five Middle Eastern countries figured among the top ten importers of arms globally.

"While much media attention was given to arms deliveries to Iran, mainly from Russia, deliveries from the USA and European countries to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were significantly larger," the institute said.

source: 11jun2007

Military Spending, Arms Trade Growing

Press Release / SIPRI 11jun2007

SIPRI reports that world military expenditure in 2006 was $1204 billion in current dollars, a 3.5 per cent increase since 2005. In the period 1997–2006 world military expenditure rose by 37 per cent. The continued surge in China’s military spending—which reached an estimated $49.5 billion (in 2005 dollars)—saw it overtake Japan ($43.7 billion) to become the biggest military spender in Asia and the fourth biggest in the world in 2006. India was the third biggest spender in Asia, with $23.9 billion (in 2005 dollars). The USA spent $528.7 billion and Russia an estimated $34.7 billion (in 2005 dollars) on their military sectors in 2006.

‘It is worth asking how cost-effective military expenditure is as a way of increasing the security of human lives, if we talk about avoiding premature deaths and disability due to current dangers. For example, we know that millions of lives could be saved through basic health interventions that would cost a fraction of what the world spends on military forces every year,’ says SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme Leader Elisabeth Sköns (eskons@sipri.org).

For a copy of her study on ‘Analysing Risks to Human Lives’ in SIPRI Yearbook 2007, please contact Evamaria Loose-Weintraub (el-weintraub@sipri.org).

Almost 50 per cent more conventional weapons, by volume, were transferred internationally in 2006 than in 2002, according to data gathered by SIPRI. China and India were the largest importers of weapons. The USA and Russia were the largest weapon suppliers.

‘The USA and the European Union countries continue to supply vast quantities of arms to the Middle East, despite the knowledge that it is a highly volatile region,’ comments Siemon Wezeman (swezeman@sipri.org), SIPRI Arms Transfers Project Leader.

For a copy of the SIPRI Yearbook 2007 chapter ‘International Arms Transfers’, which includes sections on arms transfers to the Middle East and the origins of the weapons used by Hezbollah, please contact Evamaria Loose-Weintraub (el-weintraub@sipri.org).

A world of risk

In its overview of developments in the world of peace and security, armaments and disarmament during the past year, SIPRI Yearbook 2007 highlights the need for a new broad and comprehensive approach to providing human security in view of the diversity of risks to security in the world today. SIPRI staff comment on some of the issues covered:

On energy and security:

‘Seeing how energy could become a weapon or new conflicts could be caused is the obvious part:

finding new ways to cooperate on the threats and hardships that will hit all humanity is tougher but ultimately more worthwhile,’ says SIPRI Director Alyson Bailes (director@sipri.org).

For a copy of the chapter ‘Energy and Security: Regional and Global Dimensions’ by Kamila Proni??ska in SIPRI Yearbook 2007, contact Evamaria Loose-Weintraub (el-weintraub@sipri.org) On international terrorism and armed conflicts:

‘In the early 21st century, when most forms of armed political violence appear to be either declining or stabilizing, terrorism, in contrast, is clearly on the rise,’ says SIPRI Project Leader Ekaterina Stepanova (stepanova@sipri.org).

On democratic accountability of intelligence services:

‘Good intelligence has always been vital to security and to be good today, it needs more than ever to be impartial and professional. Controls are needed not just in case the agencies have their own agenda, but to deal with the apparently more common problem of their targets and findings being skewed for political purposes’, says SIPRI Director Alyson Bailes.

For a copy of the study on ‘Democratic Accountability of Intelligence Services’ by Hans Born and Ian Leigh in SIPRI Yearbook 2007, contact SIPRI Public Affairs Coordinator Evamaria Loose-Weintraub (el-weintraub@sipri.org).

World nuclear forces

According to SIPRI’s annual inventory of world nuclear forces, the USA, Russia, France, the UK and China together held more than 26 000 nuclear warheads at the beginning of 2007. Although the total number of warheads is gradually being cut, all five countries are undertaking or planning major programmes to update their nuclear weapon arsenals.

‘The decisions taken by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council will keep nuclear weapons in their arsenals beyond 2050,’ says Ian Anthony (anthony@sipri.org), Leader of the SIPRI Nonproliferation and Export Control Project.

Press enquiries, +46 8 655 97 00

Evamaria Loose-Weintraub, SIPRI Public Affairs Coordinator, el-weintraub@sipri.org

SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, conducts independent research on armaments, disarmament and international security. SIPRI Yearbook 20076 is published on behalf of SIPRI by Oxford University Press. Further details are online at yearbook2007.sipri.org

source: 11jun2007