DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Global military spending saw its steepest spike in more than a decade, with the US vastly outspending everyone else
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Global military spending in 2023 rose to the highest levels ever recorded, analysts said. All five of the institute's defined geographical regions saw rises in military spending for the first time since 2009, with Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania recording particularly large increases, it said. This, in turn, has ramped up military spending. It also highlighted Ukraine, which ranked eighth in terms of overall defense spending, following a 51% year-on-year increase. At the same time, Israel saw its defense spending rise by 24% to reach $27.5 billion in 2023, mostly due to its large-scale offensive in Gaza, SIPRI's report found.

Persons: —, SIPRI, Nan Tian, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Lorenzo Scarazzato, spender, Israel Organizations: Global, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Service, International Crisis, Getty, NATO Locations: Stockholm, Europe, East, Asia, Oceania, Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, China

☆ Global military spending hit all-time high in 2023 after 7% jump, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The figure marked a 6.8% increase from 2022 and the sharpest year-on-year jump since 2009, the institute said in a report on military spending trends. "The unprecedented rise in military spending is a direct response to the global deterioration in peace and security," Nan Tian, senior researcher in SIPRI's military expenditure and arms production programme, said in a statement. Military expenditure has been rising for nine years straight, and military spending bolstered in all regions of the world for the first time since 2009, the report found. Ukraine's military spending meanwhile totaled around $64.8 billion — around 59% the amount of Russia's spending, but 37% of Ukraine's GDP, the report said. Tensions in the Middle East also significantly contributed to the overall rise in global military spending, the report said.

Persons: Nan Tian, spender, Lorenzo Scarazzato, Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: 1st Tank Brigade, Ukrainian Ground Forces, Getty Images, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Kyiv, NATO, U.S Locations: Ukraine, Stockholm, Central America, Caribbean, Russia, China, U.S, East, Israel, Gaza

☆ Calls grow in Europe to halt arms exports to Israel as US Senate passes aid package
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The concern around continuing arms exports to Israel comes after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last month ordered Israel to “take all measures” to comply with international laws on genocide. “In the government’s view, the distribution of American F-35 parts is not unlawful. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met Israeli cabinet minister Benny Gantz at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 12, 2024. Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local media in late January that Italy had stopped all arms shipments to Israel since October 7. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares too said in late January that his country had also halted arms sales to Israel in October.

Persons: “, Josep Borrell, ” Borrell, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Mark Rutte, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Abir, Justin Bronk, ” Bronk, Bronk, Lockheed Martin, ”, ‘, ’ ”, Antonio Tajani, Jose Albares Organizations: CNN, United States Senate, Israel, Monday, Oxfam, Hague, International Court of Justice, Israeli, Hamas, US, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, State, Dutch, Royal United Services Institute, Israeli Air Forces, Lockheed, Netherlands Air Force, Pagella, Spanish, El, Amnesty International Locations: Israel, Gaza, Netherlands, Belgium, Brussels, Ukraine, Stockholm, Dutch, Jerusalem, Abir Sultan, Israeli, London, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Italy, Spain

☆ Turkey's Drone Maker Baykar Begins to Build Plant in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Baykar has said it has signed export deals for its TB2 drone with 30 countries. These include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya and Azerbaijan since 2018, according to think tank SIPRI. Bayraktar also said the Istanbul-based firm's plans to start production in Saudi Arabia in the next two years were on track. The announcement follows an agreement in July to sell the Bayraktar Akinci, another kind of drone, to Saudi Arabia in what Baykar described as the biggest defence contract in Turkey's history. It also aims to produce the new models of the Kızılelma and the TB3 drones "in the tens," he added.

Persons: Pesha Magid, Baykar, Haluk Bayraktar, Bayraktar, Lockheed Martin, Federico Maccioni, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Reuters, World Defense, U.S, Lockheed, Saudi Locations: Pesha, Pesha Magid RIYADH, Turkish, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya, Azerbaijan, Riyadh, Israel, Gaza, Ukrainian, Istanbul, Saudi Arabia

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Many Western arms companies failed to ramp up production in 2022 despite a strong increase in demand for weapons and military equipment, a watchdog group said Monday, adding that labor shortages, soaring costs and supply chain disruptions had been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Many arms companies faced obstacles in adjusting to production for high-intensity warfare,” said Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, director of the independent institute's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program. SIPRI said the revenues of the 42 U.S. companies on the list — accounting for 51% of total arms sales — fell by 7.9% to $302 billion in 2022. Of those, 32 recorded a fall in year-on-year arms revenue, most of them citing ongoing supply chain issues and labor shortages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. ”However, despite the year-on-year drop, the total Top 100 arms revenue was still 14% higher in 2022 than in 2015 — the first year for which SIPRI included Chinese companies in its ranking.

Persons: ”, Lucie Béraud, SIPRI, Nan Tian, Lockheed Martin, ” SIPRI, Sudreau Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Lockheed, Raytheon Technologies, ” Companies Locations: Ukraine, Stockholm, U.S, Asia, Israel, South Korea

The discussions at the Dubai International Air Chiefs’ Conference, held ahead of the biennial Dubai Air Show this week, shows the delicate balancing act the federation of seven sheikhdoms faces. The UAE maintains diplomatic ties with Israel despite widespread and growing anger in the Arab world over the civilian casualties from Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. The Air Chiefs' Conference demonstrates how those ties continue, particularly as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., an Israeli defense manufacturer, was a sponsor of the summit. Sunday's summit drew attendees from across the world, though it did not appear there were any Israeli military officials on hand. While staying away from discussing the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. Air Force Brig.

Persons: Israel, Rafael, David A, we're, ” Mineau, ”, Mineau, “, Luca Goretti, Goretti Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Sunday, United, Dubai International Air Chiefs ’ Conference, Dubai Air, Hamas, The Air Chiefs, Conference, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, Dubai Air Show, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, Health Ministry, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Houthi, U.S . Air Force, America, American military's, Command, Italian Air Force Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Israel, Gaza, West, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, Stockholm, Qatar, Saudi, Abu Dhabi, Tehran, Sunday's, Western, China, U.S, NATO, Ukraine

☆ Indonesia must be prudent with military spending, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of Indonesian Special Air Force personnel in action during a ceremony to mark the Indonesian Air Force's 77th Anniversary at the Halim Perdanakusuma airbase in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 9, 2023. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday emphasised the importance of military hardware modernisation but warned any spending should be done wisely as the state budget was limited. The archipelago nation of 270 million people, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, is seeking to modernise its military but has lagged its regional peers in recent years. "Spending for military hardware must be done wisely, in terms of the amount or allocation," Jokowi, as the president is known, said during an armed forces parade. Jokowi in July also warned his cabinet to maintain a "healthy" budget as he highlighted outsised spending by the security agencies, including the defence ministry.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto, Ananda Teresia, Martin Petty Organizations: Indonesian Special Air Force, Indonesian Air Force's, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Dassault Rafale, Turkish Aerospace, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Locations: Halim, Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, Southeast, Stockholm

☆ Nobel Peace Prize could give a glimmer of hope amid era of conflict and climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in Norway on Friday, as Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine rages on and other flashpoints threaten to ignite across the globe. But the peace prize can serve as a beacon of hope in fraught and fractured times. “I think it’s precisely in a situation like this that the peace prize becomes particularly important. But Nobel specialists have been quick to dismiss such speculation, saying it is rare for the peace award to go to a wartime leader. “It would be like saying in 1941 that (then-British Prime Minister) Winston Churchill should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Persons: humanity’s, “ There’s, ” Dan Smith, ” Henrik Urdal, Volodymyr Zelensky, Winston Churchill, Zelensky, ” Smith, Bryan R, Smith, Urdal, “, ”, ” Urdal, Alfred Nobel’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Center for Civil Liberties –, Ales Bialiatski, Dmitry Muratov, Muratov, ANDERSEN, El Niño, El Niño hasn’t, Victoria Tauli, Annie Ling, Juan Carlos Jintiach, Raoni Metuktire, Evaristo Sa, Lula da Silva Organizations: CNN, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Peace Research Institute, British, Getty, International Court of Justice, ICJ, Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine – Memorial, Center for Civil Liberties, AFP, UN, New York Times, Brazilian Amazon, Brazil Locations: Norway, Ukraine, Stockholm, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Europe, SIPRI, AFP, Russia, Rome, Belarusian, Russian, Oslo, China, Pakistan, Canada, New York, Mexico, ”, Victoria, Ecuadorian, Brazilian, Amazonia

☆ As Azerbaijan claims final victory in Nagorno Karabakh, arms trade with Israel comes under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Max Saltman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Israeli ‘realpolitik’Young ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in the town of Goris during evacuations to Armenia on October 1. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure/AP Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh drive to Goris on September 28. Vahan Stepanyan/PAN Photo/AP Volunteers distribute food to ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 28. Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris on September 26. Wezeman, the researcher at SIPRI, said Israel could come under pressure from its Western allies to reconsider arms sales to Azerbaijan.

Persons: CNN —, Marut Vanyan, “ I’m, ”, “, Vanyan, Leonid Nersisyan, Rishon Le, Jack Guez, …, Pieter Wezeman, ” Wezeman, Emmanuel Dunand, Efraim Inbar, ” Inbar, Israel ’, Inbar, LORA, ” Hikmet Ajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, realpolitik, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Sergey Astsetryan, Aziz Karimov, Hayk, Vahan Stepanyan, Vasily Krestyaninov, Alain Jocard, Anatoly Matlsev, David Harapetyan, Irakli Gedenidze, Reuters Greta, Anthony Pizzoferrato, Samantha Power, Power, Astrig Agopian, Novlet, David Ghahramanyan, Israel Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan, Applied Policy Research Institute, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, Autonomous Robotics, Getty, Haaretz, Artsakh Defense Army –, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, Israeli Ministry of Defense, Ovda Airport, Israel, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, “, APRI, Artsakh Defense Army, Reuters, AP, Erebuni, PAN, AP Volunteers, Karabakh, Technologies, US Agency for International Development, Volunteers, Vehicles, Red Cross, People, Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Karabakh’s, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Rishon, Tel Aviv, AFP, Israel’s, Artsakh, Israel, Stockholm, Baku, Lachin, Iran, Iranian, Jerusalem, Ottoman, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, APRI Armenia, Syunik, Nakhchivan, Republic of Armenia, Goris, Yerevan, Kornidzor, Russia, United States

“Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict – by accident, intention, or miscalculation – is a terrible risk. New Construction at Russia's Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site, June 22, 2023. Lop Nur nuclear test site. “The Chinese test site is different than the Russian test site,” Lewis said. Both countries keep their strategic nuclear arsenals on “hair-trigger” alert, meaning that nuclear weapons can be launched on short notice.

Persons: Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, ”, Cedric Leighton, “, Vladimir Putin, ” Lewis, Lewis ’, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Lewis, we’ve, Leighton, they’d, ” Leighton, Nur, Hans Kristensen, Kristensen, Israel –, Dyess, Frederic J . Brown, Fiona Cunningham, Yang Kun, ” Daryl Kimball, Kimball, Michael Frankel, James Scouras, George Ullrich, Soviet Union –, Russia –, We’re Organizations: CNN, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, US, US Air Force, Atomic Scientists, Soviet Union, United Nations, Russia’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Planet Labs PBC, Middlebury, Science and Global Security, Novaya, Middlebury Institute, China Observer, China’s Foreign Ministry, Planet Labs, Nevada National Security, National Security Administration, US Department of Energy, Office, National Security Council, International Monitoring, Federation of American Scientists, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Columbia, Northrop Grumman's Air Force, Getty, Control Association, ACA, NGO, PLA, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arms Control Association, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Soviet Locations: Russia, United States, China, Xinjiang, Nevada, . China, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Soviet, Belarus, Minsk, Novaya Zemlya, Zemlya, Soviet Union, Lop Nur, Japan, Lop, Beijing, Stockholm, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Ellsworth, Palmdale , California, AFP, Yuli County, Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Baltimore, Russian, Hiroshima

☆ Arms maker says interest in its weapons 'largely' driven by Ukrainians using them to fight Russians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Polish arms maker says customers are flocking to weapons systems used in Ukraine. The state-owned PGZ said it has fielded two new orders for portable rocket launchers. Ukrainian forces have used such portable rocket launchers, or MANPADS, to challenge Russia's air supremacy. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile providing Ukraine with arms serves Warsaw's national security interests, it is also proving a boon to its defense sector. Other arms makers have also used Ukraine as a selling point — Ukrainian firms, especially.

Persons: PGZ, Patryk Brzeziński, SIPRI, Oleg Skillar, cdavis@insider.com Organizations: Russia, Service, Defense, Russian, Defence and Security, International, United, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, National Defense Magazine Locations: Polish, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, London, Ukrainian, United States, Russian, Poland, Stockholm, Europe, Balkans, Estonia, Baltic, Abu Dhabi

☆ Germany's Scholz: Fresh Nuclear Disarmament Talks Should Include China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for new international negotiations on nuclear disarmament on Tuesday, saying that not only Russia and the United States but also China should be involved. "Getting a fresh start on arms control would be very important," he said at a religious event in Berlin, adding that several other countries had also built up a nuclear arsenal. Preventing Iran from producing uranium that could contribute to nuclear weapon production "remains an important task," he said. Scholz said nuclear weapons posed an existential threat to humanity, which is why there is an "immediate obligation" to do everything possible to ensure they are never used. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the number of operational nuclear weapons rose slightly in 2022 as countries implemented long-term force modernisation and expansion plans.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Andreas Rinke, Friederike Heine, Miranda Murray Organizations: BERLIN, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Locations: Russia, United States, China, Berlin, Iran, Stockholm

☆ South Korean defense stocks power ahead as overseas interest grows for weapon systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In this handout image released by the South Korean Defense Ministry via Dong-A Daily, a missile is fired during a joint training between the United States and South Korea on June 6, 2022 in East Coast, South Korea. South Korean Defense Ministry | Getty ImagesSouth Korean defense stocks have recorded stellar gains over the past 12 months, with one stock soaring more than 60% as tensions on the Korean Peninsula accelerate. The company manufactures air defense systems, armored fighting vehicles and artillery systems. Escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula have also kept interest in South Korean weapon platforms high. Tech and industrial baseMorgan Stanley is optimistic about the outlook for the South Korean defense industry.

Persons: Ukraine —, Morgan Stanley, National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, Maffei, Janes, Youngsoo Han, Kayoung Lee, KAI, Victor Cha, Cha, Yoon Suk Organizations: South Korean Defense Ministry, Getty, Hanhwa Aerospace, Hanhwa Group, Peace Research Institute, The, North, South Korea —, South Korean, K9, Hyundai Rotem, Korea Aerospace Industries, Korean, Poland's, National Defense, Nikkei, NATO, Krauss, South, FA, Samsung Securities, ., Center for Strategic, International, CNBC Locations: United States, South Korea, East Coast , South Korea, Ukraine, South, Stockholm, The U.S, East, Europe, Korean, U.S, Jeju, North Korea, Asia, Russia, Poland, Polish, South Korean, Malaysia, . Tech, Korea

[1/8] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shake hands after a joint statement, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 15, 2023. South Korea is a U.S. ally and the world's ninth biggest arms exporter, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank. In a press conference, Yoon said South Korea plans to provide "a larger scale of military supplies" to Ukraine this year, following last year's provision of non-lethal supplies such as body armour and helmets. Yoon said South Korea also plans to provide Ukraine with $150 million in humanitarian aid this year, following about $100 million in 2022. Yoon said on Saturday South Korea has delivered safety equipment and humanitarian aid that Ukraine needs, since May, including mine detectors.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yoon Suk, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Zelenskiy, Yoon's, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Pacheco Pardo, Joyce Lee, Olena, Josh Smith, Hyonhee, William Mallard, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: South, REUTERS, NATO, Russia's, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Ukraine, Brussels School, Saturday, Seoul's, Seoul's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, U.S, Seoul, SEOUL, KYIV, Lithuania, Poland, South Korea, Stockholm, North Korea, Korea, South

☆ China has a reputation for exporting shoddy weapons, but its sales may get a boost from Russia's blunders in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If Russia's arms exports falter because of the war in Ukraine, China's appeal may only grow. Despite the drawbacks, Chinese arms exports may get a boost from the war in Ukraine. Mazhar ABID/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesQuality concerns could be one reason for a pre-Ukraine decline in Chinese arms sales. On the other hand, SIPRI also found that German and British arms sales declined 35% and Israeli sales fell 15% during the same period. "As Russia's weapons availability may change as the war continues, China is prepared for when that time arrives."

Persons: Cindy Zheng, AAMIR QURESHI, Zheng, —, Mazhar ABID, SIPRI, NOEL CELIS Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Kamra, Getty, Nigerian Air Force, Pakistan —, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany's Puma, Getty Images Arms Locations: China, Beijing, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Islamabad, Africa, South Asia, Nigeria, Soviet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Aslat, Karachi, Stockholm, Russia, AFP, Venezuela, Iran

☆ Analysis: Egypt faces external debt reckoning after borrowing spree
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Patrick Werr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Amid a foreign currency crunch, Egypt has drawn down net foreign assets in the banking system by more than $40 billion in two years, partly used to prop up the pound. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsFINDING FOREIGN FUNDSTwo of Egypt's main foreign currency streams, tourism and Suez Canal transit fees, have edged up. The hard currency squeeze has raised concerns about Egypt's ability to repay foreign debt. Those repayments to the IMF and foreign bond holders alone, worth about $4.5 billion, amount to more than half the annual $8 billion Egypt earns from the Suez Canal. Egypt's external loans leapt to $162.9 billion by December 2022 from under $40 billion in 2015, central bank data showed.

Persons: snubbing, Monica Malik, Moustafa Madbouly, Moody's, politican Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Farouk Soussa, Goldman Sachs, Patrick Werr, Sumanta Sen, Aidan Lewis, Edmund Blair Organizations: Investors, International Monetary Fund, Finance, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Reasssured, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Egypt, snubbing Egypt, Ukraine, Abu Dhabi, Suez, Cairo, Stockholm

South Korean companies do not disclose the unit prices for their weapons, which are often sold with support vehicles and spare parts. That will include building South Korean arms on license in Poland, officials in Seoul and Warsaw said. "It may work for some countries at very, very low volume," he added of Polish-brokered South Korean weapons sales, discussing challenges the joint operation might face. The 2022 arms deal began with South Korean companies signing a framework agreement with the Polish government. Seoul has since approved at least some South Korean weapons components for use in Ukraine.

☆ The US spent $877 billion on military in 2022, a new report says — more than 10 times federal education spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Peter Gelling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US spent $877 billion in 2022, which accounts for almost 40 percent of all spending. By comparison, the US federal government allocated just $76.4 billion for education in 2022. "In 2022 the USA allocated $295 billion to military operations and maintenance, $264 billion to procurement and research and development, and $167 billion to military personnel," the report says. Total global military spending reached an all-time high in 2022, the report found. The report found that, in real terms, European military spending had returned to levels not seen since the Cold War.

[1/2] A Vietnamese officer tries a weapon at the stalls of Czech security firms, including Colt, at the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam, December 8, 2022. REUTERS/Khanh VuHANOI, April 24 (Reuters) - Vietnam is in talks with the Czech Republic for military supplies, including aircraft, radars, upgrades of armoured vehicles and firearms, a Czech government source told Reuters, as Hanoi aims at diversifying its mostly Russian arsenal. Hanoi ordered a dozen L-39NG light-combat aircraft in 2021 from Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody, with delivery to begin this year. Of the 15 companies that composed the Czech business delegation, four were security firms. The Vietnam foreign ministry and the Czech embassy in Hanoi had no immediate comment.

☆ Ukraine war spurs record global spending on military, Stockholm think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, April 24 (Reuters) - Global military spending rose to a record last year as Russia's war in Ukraine drove the biggest annual increase in expenditure in Europe since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, a leading conflict and armaments think tank said on Monday. World military expenditure rose by 3.7% in real terms in 2022 to $2.24 trillion, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a statement. "As a result, we can reasonably expect military expenditure in Central and Western Europe to keep rising in the years ahead." SIPRI estimated that military aid to Ukraine from the United States accounted for 2.3% of total U.S. military spending in 2022. Though the United States was the world's top spender by far its overall expenditure rose only marginally in real terms.

☆ High activity spotted at North Korea nuclear complex after Kim's bomb-fuel order, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Washington-based 38 North North Korea monitoring project said the activity it had spotted, based on images from March 3 and 17, could indicate that an Experimental Light Water Reactor (ELWR) at the Yongbyon site was nearing completion and transition to operational status. On Tuesday, North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material to expand its arsenal, while denouncing stepped up military exercises by South Korea and the United States. Its state media said Kim had ordered the production of weapons-grade materials in a "far-sighted way" to boost the country's nuclear arsenal "exponentially." South Korea and the United States have warned since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing at any time. In a report last year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated North Korea had assembled up to 20 nuclear warheads, and probably possessed sufficient fissile material for approximately 45–55 nuclear devices.

☆ European arms imports climb, U.S. dominance in exports grows, think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File PhotoSTOCKHOLM, March 13 (Reuters) - European states increased their imports of major weaponry by 47% in the five years to 2022, while the United States' share of global arms exports rose to 40% from 33%, a leading conflict think-tank said on Monday. European states in the U.S.-led NATO alliance increased their arms imports by 65% from the previous five-year period. The United States and Russia have been the world's largest and second-largest arms exporters for the past three decades. U.S. arms exports increased by 14% from 2013-17, and the U.S. accounted for 40% of global arms exports. "It is likely that the invasion of Ukraine will further limit Russia's arms exports," SIPRI's Siemon T. Wezeman said.

☆ World-class ships and new supersonic jets mark the quiet rise of a new defense industry powerhouse in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

South Korea's defense industry has seen meteoric growth in recent years. 2023 is also shaping up to be a good year for South Korea's defense industry. South Korea's defense industry was originally tailored to meet the country's own needs, and Seoul assisted its growth with subsidies and other incentives. As South Korea's defense products increased in quality, so too did its exports. The South Korean defense industry's most anticipated product might be the KF-21 Boramae, a multi-role combat jet optimized for air-superiority missions.

That made Vietnam one of the top buyers of Russian arms, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global military expenditures. Starting Thursday, the country will host its first large-scale international arms trade fair, for which more than 170 companies from 30 countries have registered, the defence ministry said. The Defence Ministry referred questions about the country's defence industry to the Foreign Ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment. A half-dozen Russian defence firms are registered for the Hanoi fair, including Rosoboronexport, the state agency that imports and exports weapons. That year, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced Vietnam's military imports to only $32 million, of which $9 million worth were Russian arms.

☆ China says U.S. nuclear weapons report is speculation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 6 (Reuters) - China's defence ministry on Tuesday dismissed a Pentagon report about the pace of its nuclear weapons programme as unfair "gesticulation" and speculation. The Pentagon said in a report last month that China would likely have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues with its current pace of its nuclear buildup. Responding to the report, China's defence ministry said the United States was "gesticulating and absurdly guessing about the modernisation of China's nuclear forces". The United States should reflect on its own nuclear policy, especially as it has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, the ministry added. The United States was "vigorously" developing and seeking to deploy front-line tactical nuclear weapons, had reduced the threshold for deploying nuclear weapons and was conducting nuclear proliferation through its security partnership with Britain and Australia, it said.

Search resuls for: "SIPRI"

25 mentions found