China's DF-31 strategic missile warhead

LONDON Oct. 20 news: According to Russia's "Morning News" on Oct. 19 reported last week, Russia and Israel signed a supply contract for a new batch of military UAV, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit procurement of weapons again, once again raised the topic of the world arms race, but in fact Russia has long been the laggards of the competition, will lose their near term, as the largest exporter of military status. From the long run, China will probably become the leader in the arms race.

Of course, the world leader in arms race now has other, the real sensation recently by the Persian Gulf caused unprecedented arms procurement plan, and a total of up to $ 123 000 000 000 disclose the defense procurement intentions, despite arms procurement in these countries before also never begrudge. According to the British "Financial Times" said the Saudi 67.8 billion U.S. dollars for procurement of weapons, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait has invested 35.6 billion, respectively, 123 million U.S. dollars, 7.1 billion procurement of weapons.

Prior to the arms race the world leader in the Latin American countries. According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute the world, after a few years the amount for the supply of weapons to South America increased by 1.5 times. But in the long run, the next arms race may be the leader in China. According to the estimates vary, the Chinese defense spending by double-digit increases year after year, the total annual 800-1200 billion. Western military analysts now so particularly disturbing is the dress of China's nuclear weapons program guide. According to the most aggressive forecast, by 2020 China will have launched more than 500 silo-based missiles, sea-based and mobile missiles. In addition, China is also building the Navy, including nuclear submarines.

Instead, NATO is now facing the problem of how to stop member states to slash military spending, avoid getting involved in the wave of general disarmament. Of course, the problem here is not appeasement, but the financial constraints. Western nations scrambling to cut budget expenditures, including defense spending. To curb this trend, as early as 2002, the NATO Prague summit had adopted a decision to require each member of the defense spending should not be less than 2% of its GDP, but last year only the United States, Britain, France, Greece and Albania five members meet this standard, including France and Albania force compliance. By 2011, one country may be only the United States to meet this standard. The total U.S. defense spending close to 5% of its GDP, of which Iraq and Afghanistan war costs only accounted for 3.6% of GDP, but now also began tightening trend, recently the Senate to cut the defense budget for 2011 of 80 billion U.S. dollars, the U.S. Air Force and the Navy and another two major projects more than 10 smaller projects have been cut, the final defense budget amounted to 670 billion U.S. dollars, of which 158 billion U.S. dollars will be used to directly ensure the operations, future plans to substantially reduce the military funding $ 100,000,000,000 . Large country in NATO, probably only a slight increase in the German plans for next year's defense spending, but an increase of only 1.4%, a total of $ 41,000,000,000.

Former Soviet Union, military spending increases and decreases vary. Azerbaijan's defense spending next year will increase by 10% to 17 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 4% of GDP, taking into account the border between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia, the reality of renewed tension, this is not surprising. Georgia plans to continue to cut the defense budget seems, if military expenditure between 2005-2008, $ 80,000,000 from the surge to 10 billion dollars, then in August 2008 South Ossetia War, Georgia's military spending plummeted by more than half within two years, This year's 412 million until next year plans to cut $ 50,000,000, but the total of 40 billion state budget expenditure, the relative proportion is still too high. Relative to the size of their economies, the Russian defense spending is actually not increase substantially, but will keep pace with economic growth, defense spending will always be about 3% of GDP. Not long ago, the Russian government decided to substantially increase the state arms procurement spending by 2020, an increase of up to 50%, totaling nearly 20 trillion rubles, but given the Russian weapons and military equipment of the tragic situation, these expenditures may not really be considered as an arms race Because Russia's goal is not to exceed the potential rival.