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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...5/India-to-spend-more-on-defence-than-Britain
India to spend more on defence than Britain within five years
By David Blair in New Delhi and Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:52PM BST 13 Sep 2008
This rivalry between the world's largest rising powers lies behind an inexorable shift in global military power away from Europe and towards Asia.
India's defence spending has risen by an average of 18 per cent in each of the past three years. British military expenditure, by contrast, is planned to rise by an annual 1.4 per cent, after inflation.
If this continues, India's present defence spending of £15 billion will more than double to £35 billion in 2013. Britain's current military budget is £34 billion.
"As China and India's economies grow they will want to see their military strength improve," said Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary. "For us in the West, India could be a very useful ally in the war against terror, but you look at countries like China and Russia and you are seeing them increasing their military hardware. It shows you all the more starkly how complacent some of our Nato allies are in failing to maintain adequate defence spending."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are in the longest period of sustained real growth in the defence budget for over 20 years. What matters is the excellent capabilities we are delivering in terms of vehicles, body armour and weaponry, rather than any comparison of levels of defence expenditure."
Even taking into account future increases in Britain's defence budget, India is likely to spend more on its armed forces within less than 10 years.
Its rapid growth in spending is spurred by growing tension with its northern neighbour, China. The two nations share a bitterly disputed, 2,100 mile border and are rivals for influence in Asia.
India is buying 126 new jet fighters for around £5 billion. While the winner of this contract has not been announced, the contenders include the Eurofighter-Typhoon used by the RAF and the US F-18.
The Indian navy is seeking to become a "blue water" force, capable of operating worldwide. One aircraft carrier is under construction and another is being purchased from Russia. India is building one nuclear attack submarine and leasing another from Russia.
Cruise missiles which could be launched from submarines are also being developed. This would match a capability presently deployed only by the Royal Navy and the US Navy.
India to spend more on defence than Britain within five years
By David Blair in New Delhi and Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:52PM BST 13 Sep 2008
This rivalry between the world's largest rising powers lies behind an inexorable shift in global military power away from Europe and towards Asia.
India's defence spending has risen by an average of 18 per cent in each of the past three years. British military expenditure, by contrast, is planned to rise by an annual 1.4 per cent, after inflation.
If this continues, India's present defence spending of £15 billion will more than double to £35 billion in 2013. Britain's current military budget is £34 billion.
"As China and India's economies grow they will want to see their military strength improve," said Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary. "For us in the West, India could be a very useful ally in the war against terror, but you look at countries like China and Russia and you are seeing them increasing their military hardware. It shows you all the more starkly how complacent some of our Nato allies are in failing to maintain adequate defence spending."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are in the longest period of sustained real growth in the defence budget for over 20 years. What matters is the excellent capabilities we are delivering in terms of vehicles, body armour and weaponry, rather than any comparison of levels of defence expenditure."
Even taking into account future increases in Britain's defence budget, India is likely to spend more on its armed forces within less than 10 years.
Its rapid growth in spending is spurred by growing tension with its northern neighbour, China. The two nations share a bitterly disputed, 2,100 mile border and are rivals for influence in Asia.
India is buying 126 new jet fighters for around £5 billion. While the winner of this contract has not been announced, the contenders include the Eurofighter-Typhoon used by the RAF and the US F-18.
The Indian navy is seeking to become a "blue water" force, capable of operating worldwide. One aircraft carrier is under construction and another is being purchased from Russia. India is building one nuclear attack submarine and leasing another from Russia.
Cruise missiles which could be launched from submarines are also being developed. This would match a capability presently deployed only by the Royal Navy and the US Navy.
