---BREAKAWAY CIVILIZATION ---ALTERNATIVE HISTORY---NEW BUSINESS MODELS--- ROCK & ROLL 'S STRANGE BEGINNINGS---SERIAL KILLERS---YEA AND THAT BAD WORD "CONSPIRACY"--- AMERICANS DON'T EXPLORE ANYTHING ANYMORE.WE JUST CONSUME AND DIE.---
Love it or hate it, military power is one of the distinguishing
features of the world’s dominant nations. Although America is known for
the size and power of its military, it is not alone in its bid for
strong national security. These 10 nations that have racked up the largest military expense bills.
All figures come from the most up to date information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a leading resource on global militaries.
2013 Expenditure: 682 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending: 39%
The U.S. (obviously) tops the chart with a recorded 682 billion dollars of annual military spending, or about 20% of
our total federal spending. That is a sizable sum. It’s more than the
entire GDP of Norway last year. To give you even more perspective, the
U.S.’ share of global military spending is more than the rest of the top 10 combined.
If we were to divide the defense budget by the median American salary,
it would be worth the salaries of 14 million people. It has come under
scrutiny with current debt crisis, and with the Iraq and Afghanistan war
costing an estimated $4 trillion over the last decade,
many Americans are ready to change our priorities and wind down the
defense spending. However, with 200,000 troops stationed in over 144 countries, it could be some time before this happens.
2013 Expenditure: 90.7 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending: 5.2%
Not surprising on this list is the arms vendor of the politically
unstable third world, also known as Russia. Currently on an upswing
after a long fallout from cold war, the Putinized country shows no signs
of slowing down its weapons supply lines to all places of turmoil.
And although Russian troops have seen very little action since the fall
of the Soviet Union, they will be closely watched next month as
everyone nervously tunes into the Olympic Games in Mochiscow.
Considering the recent security threats, let’s hope they are up to the challenge.
2013 Expenditure: 166 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending: 9.5%
The up-and-coming superpower comes in second on the global list for
military spending. This isn’t exactly calming for the rest of the world.
Containing a military of roughly 1.25 million active personnel,
a properly-equipped China would unquestionably be the most powerful
international global force. For decades, this was not a cause for
concern. This all changed when the Chinese military claimed ownership of the Japanese Senkaku islands and
their surrounding waterways. Considering history’s outcomes for small
territorial disputes between large countries (ahem, WWI), one should be
concerned about what the nationalistic country plans to do with its big
guns in the next few years.
2013 Expenditure: 60.8 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending: 3.5%
The United Kingdom’s armed forces, also known as the “Armed Forces of
the Crown,” are the collective armies of the United Kingdom and
Northern Ireland,still technically headed by Queen Elizabeth.
While the population of the U.K. is less than that of France and
Germany, the Armed Forces of the Crown are charged with not only
protecting the people of the United Kingdom, but also their overseas
territories and crown dependencies, which in total amount to 17.
This is in addition to being a major participant in NATO peacekeeping
missions and thus means that the U.K. finds itself with a rather large
military obligation. So think twice before you mock the guard at
Buckingham palace. He’s rolling with a pretty big crew.
2013 Expenditure: 59.3 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending: 3.4%
Following World War II, and the peacekeeping promise of the U.S.
under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, Japan underwent a massive demilitarization.
The military spending they did have was limited and the U.S was seen as
the nation’s protector. However, with recent concerns following China’s
claim to the Senkaku Islands and an emerging North Korean threat, Japan
has begun to revamp its military.
While the U.S. has been urging Japan to rebuild it’s armed forces for
some time, the implications behind it should not be ignored.
6. France
2013 Expenditure: 58.9 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending:3.4%
The country of wine, cheese and cigarette-smoking snobs is also home
to one of the world’s biggest militaries. With an estimated armed force
of 250,000, France has the largest armed forces in Europe, and the 14th
biggest globally. While France does not foresee any probable need for
domestic defense, it, like Germany, has a very large international
peacekeeping power. With forces currently deployed in
offensive missions in Mali and the Central African Republic, and
deployments to Libya and the Ivory Coast in 2011 France has one of most
active militaries abroad (though they never deployed troops to Iraq).
The French take a great deal of pride in their military capacity, and
have recently maintained a reputation of reserving their forces for
requests directly from governments themselves. They mean to act
multilaterally, not on a basis of political pressure. As Bruno Tertrai, a
defense analyst at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris surmises, “The French people are ready to support a military operation as long as the objectives are clear and seem legitimate.”
2013 Expenditure: 56.7 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending: 3.2%
Bringing in our first and only entry from the Middle East is Saudi
Arabia. An ally of the United States out of convenience, Saudi Arabia
recently received a big vote of confidence from the U.S. in 2011 when
President Obama authorized its single-largest military sale to the Saudi
Kingdom. The $30 billion deal sent
84 F-15 jets, considered among the most sophisticated military jets in
the world, to the Saudi’s in an effort to equip them against an Iranian
military threat.
The move isn’t surprising given Saudi military support of the U.S.
during both the Gulf and the Iraq War. However, the alliance between
these two countries is less of a friendship and more of a link forged
out of necessity. Skeptics opposed to a U.S.-aided Saudi armament point out (rightfully),
that Saudi investors account for the largest source of funding for
terrorist cells like the Taliban and al-Qaida, and that the majority of
the 9/11 terrorists were Saudis. For the time being, the Sunni country seems very willing to cooperate with the U.S. in the face of an Iranian Shtite threat.
8. India
2013 Expenditure: 46.1 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending:2.6%
Coming in eighth place for military expenditure are our friends in
India, who despite a boom in population and business, still lag in
military strength. With the world’s second largest population, India is
viewed by many as a buffer to China’s dominance in Asia, specifically
one with a more American- centric viewpoint. Positioned among many
notoriously volatile neighbors such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, India’s
role as military strength is going to a subject of great interest in
the next decade. 2013 marked a big year for
Indian military advancement, with the acquisition of several
intermediate-range ballistic missiles, it’s first dedicated military
satellite and the commissioning of its first advanced light helicopter.
However, the capabilities of India’s army are still massively
underwhelming compared to the might of China’s, rendering their role as a
mediatorsbalance, almost completely impossible. Let’s just hope they
can just scare them away with their mighty border dance.
9. Germany
2013 Expenditure: 45.8 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending:2.6%
Likely coming as a surprise to everyone, Germany ranks only ninth in
military expenditure around the globe. When you think of advanced
military technology, the countries that most likely come to mind are the
United States, Israel and Germany. Indeed, despite spending such a low
percentage of their GDP on defense, Germany’s military industry remains
one of the most sophisticated in the world. It is third in military
exports, behind only by the U.S. and Russia.
So how is it able to maintain one of the world’s top military powers
on such a low budget? Well for starters, the Bundeswehr, Germany’s
military, is in the process ofscaling down their personnel.
In the summer of 2013, Germany’s defense department declared they were
slimming down the number of soldiers employed to 180,000 (less than the
U.K., France and Italy), because “It is more likely the Bundeswehr will
in future be employed in areas of crisis and conflict around the world
than in defending the country.” And while efficient allocation of
personnel is always a money saver, we have a suspicion that is has more
to do with their recent order of 600 “future soldier” supersuits.
2013 Expenditure: 34 Billion; Portion of Global Military Spending:1.9%
With continuous talk of their debt crisis, mafia problems and
delicious pastas, people can forget that Italy is among the world’s
leading economies. It has a military to match. With an annual military
expenditure of around 34 billion, Italy’s military expenditure is more
than the total GDP of countries such as Jordan, Bolivia and Bahrain.
While their military doesn’t do their image any favors by sanctioning
runway-designed uniforms for their MPs (featured above), the Italian
military is quite active across the world. Currently involved in 24
missions globally, Italy also had the ffourth-highest peak deployment of
active troops in the multinational force against Iraq. However, recent
economic pressures have led the state to approve a$6.6 billion reduction in defense spending, which the mafia might be happy to hear about.
Posts
Love it or hate it, military power is one of the distinguishing
features of the world’s dominant nations. Although America is known for
the size and power of its military, it is not alone in its bid for
strong national security. These 10 nations that have racked up the largest military expense bills.
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