WORLD DEFENCE SPENDING SHOOTS UP
Global defence spending saw its biggest jump in a decade in 2019, driven by US and China, a study found
4% increase
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said the 4% rise, compared to a year earlier, was fuelled by competition between major powers $53.4billion
The annual “Military Balance” report said the increase in US spending from 2018 to 2019 - by $53.4bn - was almost as big as Britain’s entire defence budget 6.6% jump
Both the US as well as China increased spending by 6.6%, the IISS report said, to a staggering $684.6bn and $181.1bn, respectively 50% spike
Spending in Asia has grown more than 50% in a decade, rising from $275bn in 2010 to $423bn in 2019 in real terms as the continent’s economic success has allowed countries to invest more in their militaries
WASHINGTON SPOOKED
Beijing’s military modernisation programme is alarming Washington. In October, China showed off technologies including its DF-17 hypersonic glide vehicle - designed to deliver warheads at huge speeds. Russia, meanwhile, has announced the deployment of its hypersonic missile system
FALLOUT OF INF TREATY COLLAPSE
The collapse last year of the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty and the doubts surrounding the renewal of the New START arms reduction treaty, which expires in 2021, have contributed to the mood of instability
FEAR OF ARMS RACE
Speaking at an event in Munich, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned of a “disturbing erosion” of arms control limits. “Irresponsible governments are accelerating their pursuit of nuclear power and missile capability. The world can ill afford an arms race,” she has warned
“Spending rose as economies recovered from the effects of the financial crisis, but increases have also been driven by sharpening threat perceptions.”
John Chipman, chief of IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies)