India main military spender in South Asia: Report

[KashifAsrar]

India main military spender in South Asia: Report ​

Stockholm, June 11: Global military spending, mainly driven by the US and its 'war on terrorism', rose to a new high in 2006, with India the main military spender in South Asia, a peace institute said Monday.

Last year, nations around the world spent USD1,204 billion (current rates) in military expenditures or USD184 per capita, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The increase was 3.5 percent in real terms on 2005 and 37 percent on the 10-year-period 1997-2006, the SIPRI Yearbook said. It said India remained the main military spender in South Asia. And China and India accounted for 40 percent of the region's spending.

India and China were also the world's largest importers. Other large importers were Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

China surpassed Japan as the biggest military spender in Asia, and became the world's fourth largest military spender in 2006.

Combined arms sales from the world's top 100 companies, not including China, totalled USD290 billion for 2005, the latest year covered by SIPRI.

Of the 100 companies, 40 were US-based and accounted for 63 percent of arms sales. The 32 European companies had a 29 percent share. Nine companies in Russia accounted for 2 percent of sales.

Companies in Japan, Israel and India had most of the remainder.

The US accounted for some 62 percent or USD26 billion of the total USD39 billion increase in world military expenditure in 2006.

The US had a 46 percent share of world military spending. The other top four military spenders - Britain, France, China and Japan - each accounted for 4 to 5 percent.

In its overview, SIPRI said that Western Europe and Central America were the only regions with a decrease in military expenditure in 2006.

Russia's military expenditure rose by almost 12 percent in real terms last year, a trend that started in 1998.

In the Middle East, accurate figures for spending were hard to come by but Saudi Arabia remained the largest regional spender, followed by Israel and Iran, SIPRI said.

In Africa, Algeria remained a leading military spender that in 2006 signed arms deals with Russia worth USD10.5 billion.

The US and Russia were the world's largest arms exporters 2002-06, accounting for some 30 percent each.

In its annual outlook, the institute said there were 17 major armed conflicts (defined as at least 1,000 killed in battle) in 2006. Asia was the region with the most armed conflicts.

The yearbook also contained chapters on peacekeeping operations, which reached a new high in the number of personnel deployed, attempts to contain the spread of nuclear weapons, energy and security.

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=376483&sid=NAT

 

[KashifAsrar]

Nuclear risk grows with smaller, more useable atomic weapons
(AP)

11 June 2007



STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The risk of atomic warfare may grow in coming decades as the nuclear club expands and the world’s top military powers develop new missiles and warheads with smaller yields, a Swedish research institute said Monday.


In its annual report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for the first time counted North Korea among the world’s nuclear forces, because of its test explosion in October 2006.

Although it remains unclear whether the communist country has weaponized its nuclear capability,’ SIPRI estimated that North Korea could produce about six nuclear warheads, based on its stockpiles of plutonium.

Including North Korea, SIPRI estimated the world’s nine nuclear nations held more than 11,000 operational warheads at the start of 2007, with Russia and the US accounting for more than 90 percent.

Iran could also join the nuclear weapons club if it decides to develop its contentious uranium enrichment program for military use, said Ian Anthony, a nuclear expert at SIPRI.

Iran could appear on this list but at the earliest five years from now,’ Anthony said.

Although the US and Russia are reducing their nuclear stockpiles as part of bilateral treaties, they and others are modernizing their arsenals with new weapons with smaller yields, Anthony said.

The concern is that countries are starting to see these weapons as useable whereas during the Cold War they were seen as a deterrent,’ SIPRI researcher Ian Anthony told The Associated Press.

The United States remained the world’s biggest military spender, devoting about US$529 billion to arms in 2006 while China overtook Japan as Asia’s top arms spender, the report said.

US military spending grew from US$505 billion in 2005 mainly because of the costly military operations’ in Iraq and Afghanistan, SIPRI said.

The report said the US government provided a total of US$432 billion in supplemental appropriations for the war on terrorism between September 2001 and June 2006.

This massive increase in US military spending has been one of the factors contributing to the deterioration of the US economy since 2001,’ SIPRI said.

The US was followed by Britain and France in military spending, while China’s expenditures reached nearly US$50 billion, making it the fourth biggest arms spender in the world, SIPRI said. Japan was fifth with $43.7 billion.

The figures cited were in 2005 dollars.

SIPRI researcher Elisabeth Skons questioned whether military spending was a cost-effective way of protecting human lives.

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,’ she said.

International arms transfers have grown since 2002, with China and India being the biggest importers and the US and Russia the two major exporters.

Russia, which spent US$34.7 billion on arms, has used its energy wealth to revive national pride, to restore its influence’ in surrounding countries and to maximize its geopolitical power,’ SIPRI said.

Five Middle Eastern countries were among the top 10 importers of weapons.

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 report said.

The institute said the world’s nuclear powers together held more than 26,000 nuclear warheads at the start of 2007. Of those, an estimated 11,530 were available for delivery by missiles and aircraft.

Russia had 5,614 operational warheads in January 2007, while the US had 5,045, the report said.

Both countries are reducing their stockpiles as part of bilateral treaties, but are developing new weapons as they modernize their forces. Britain, France and China also plan to deploy new nuclear weapons, SIPRI said.

India, Pakistan and Israel each have dozens of warheads, although their stockpiles are believed to be only partly deployed, the institute said. India and Pakistan are both thought to be expanding their nuclear strike capabilities, while Israel seems to be waiting to see how the situation in Iran develops,’ SIPRI said.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2007/June/theworld_June376.xml&section=theworld&col=

 

[Adux]

What SIPRI forgets to mention is that most of India's and China's troops use 1950's and 1960's era weapon's and they havent regularly updated themseleves; therefore the sudden arms buying,

DOnt we all love statistics

 

[joey]

Millitary spending is directly tied with Economics, Strength respects Strength.

 

[Bull]

What sort of **** title is that. Was a report required to state this evident fact. Next we might see some report finding out that ' New Delhi is the Capital of India'.

 

[KashifAsrar]

What sort of **** title is that. Was a report required to state this evident fact. Next we might see some report finding out that ' New Delhi is the Capital of India'.

Forward your complain to website editorial board dear!
Kashif

 

[KashifAsrar]

What SIPRI forgets to mention is that most of India's and China's troops use 1950's and 1960's era weapon's and they havent regularly updated themseleves; therefore the sudden arms buying,

DOnt we all love statistics

Moreover it is our economy that give us this leaverge.
We have money to spend on our defense, they have the technology for sale.
Simple and straight.
Kashif