Thursday, April 16, 2015

China, Russia, Saudi Arabia Boosted Defense the Most as U.S. Cuts

China Military Parade
Military spending in the U.S. dropped by 6.5 percent in 2014.
Chinese, Russian and Saudi Arabian defense spending increased the most last year, while U.S. expenditures declined, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Saudi Arabia Military Parade
China’s defense spending rose 9.7 percent from a year earlier to $216 billion, and Russia’s increased 8.1 percent to $84.5 billion, the research group said in its annual report on global defense spending adjusted for inflation. Saudi Arabia had the biggest percentage increase among the top 15 spenders worldwide, rising 17 percent to $80.8 billion.
While the U.S. remains by far the world’s largest military spender, its expenditures in 2014 dropped 6.5 percent to $610 billion, reflecting a 20 percent decrease since 2010, according to the report.
The figures reflect intensifying global turmoil. Russia’s March 2014 annexation of Crimea sparked a conflict in Ukraine, and tensions simmer over territorial disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Saudi Arabia continues to arm militants in Syria, joined a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, and last month launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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