Expanding defense budgets feed fears of Middle East arms race
A new report on arms-producing companies offers insight into the Middle East, where military experts say the armament race is likely to continue at an increasing pace.
![IRAQ-CRISIS/ Iraqi Army soldiers ride in tanks with Russian rocket launchers (TOS-1) as part of a parade marking the founding anniversary of the army's artillery section in Baghdad October 1, 2014. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - RTR48K1C](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2014/12/RTR48K1C.jpg/RTR48K1C.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=UCgr9htf)
On Dec. 15, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its report, “The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies, 2013.” In addition to valuable data on global arms and military services sales, the report also offers interesting insight into the Middle East. At a glance, here are some of the facts:
The 2013 revenues of the 100 largest arms and military services companies totaled $402 billion. The primary customers of these companies were their own armies. The report, which does not cover China because of a lack of transparent data, notes that the decline in global arms sales that started in 2011 is continuing and the reductions in the US defense budget have played a prominent role in the trend.