Rise Of The East - China's Military Budget To Surpass Combined Budgets Of Britain, France And Germany
February 05, 2014 | Darrell Gleason
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Soaring defense budgets in China and Russia are giving a clear signal that the West will soon cede influence on the world stage.
The Telegraph, a British publication, reports that military spending across Asia and the Middle East is surging, while the United States and other military powers are being forced to scale back due to budgetary cuts.
The increased defense spending in China and Russia have fueled a surge in global military spending for the first time in five years. The trend prompted Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of NATO to issue a stark warning that military power is shifting.
Soaring defense budgets in China and Russia are giving a clear signal that the West will soon cede influence on the world stage.
The Telegraph, a British publication, reports that military spending across Asia and the Middle East is surging, while the United States and other military powers are being forced to scale back due to budgetary cuts.
The increased defense spending in China and Russia have fueled a surge in global military spending for the first time in five years. The trend prompted Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of NATO to issue a stark warning that military power is shifting.
“When governments are forced to cut deficits and make deep cuts, it’s difficult to argue that defense should be exempted,” Rasmussen said during an interview with BBC Newsnight.
“But of course, it is a matter of concern taking into account that other powers invest more and more in defense and at the end of the day, it means we will have less influence on the international scene, the vacuum will be filled by other powers and they do not necessarily share our interests and our values.”
Moreover, INS Janes, a British company specializing in defense topics, said the switch means the “center of gravity of defense expenditures is expected to continue to shift south and east.”
American spending, currently at approximately $645 billion, is still the world’s highest, while it is decreasing by 1.3 percent this year. Meanwhile, China, which is beefing up its armed forces, will for the first time surpass the combined budgets of Britain, France and Germany.
Beijing has earmarked $148 billion for its military, an increase of 6 percent over last year. China is using the money for a planned modernization of its forces, with upgrading its military hardware as a primary focus.
Other Asian Pacific nations are following suit, with South Korea, India and Australia also increasing military spending.
However, military spending increases are the highest in Russia. Military spending in Russia will spiral by more than 44 percent over the next three years as it carries out a modernization of its forces. Russia will spend $78 billion on defense this year, despite a slowdown in economic growth.
Meanwhile, four of the five fastest growing defense markets in 2013 were in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia’s military defense spending has tripled in the past decade. More recently, the Saudis have been rattled by the Obama administration’s nuclear talks with Iran.
Berry Pavel, a former defense officials with the Obama administration, predicts that Russia’s increased military spending will be short lived, based on oil prices, while China will be a more important country to watch with a more long-term and sustained increase.
Keith Urbahan, a former chief of staff to Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. defense secretary under President George W. Bush said China and Russia are working to capitalize on waning American influence in the world.
“These trends are the latest sign of an America in retreat and willing to relinquish its global security responsibilities,” he said. “China and Russia see the vacuum of leadership and are seeking to fill it.”
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/February05/052.html#dvPVYi6wzFdmiLxP.99
February 05, 2014 | Darrell Gleason
Share this article
Soaring defense budgets in China and Russia are giving a clear signal that the West will soon cede influence on the world stage.
The Telegraph, a British publication, reports that military spending across Asia and the Middle East is surging, while the United States and other military powers are being forced to scale back due to budgetary cuts.
The increased defense spending in China and Russia have fueled a surge in global military spending for the first time in five years. The trend prompted Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of NATO to issue a stark warning that military power is shifting.
Soaring defense budgets in China and Russia are giving a clear signal that the West will soon cede influence on the world stage.
The Telegraph, a British publication, reports that military spending across Asia and the Middle East is surging, while the United States and other military powers are being forced to scale back due to budgetary cuts.
The increased defense spending in China and Russia have fueled a surge in global military spending for the first time in five years. The trend prompted Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of NATO to issue a stark warning that military power is shifting.
“When governments are forced to cut deficits and make deep cuts, it’s difficult to argue that defense should be exempted,” Rasmussen said during an interview with BBC Newsnight.
“But of course, it is a matter of concern taking into account that other powers invest more and more in defense and at the end of the day, it means we will have less influence on the international scene, the vacuum will be filled by other powers and they do not necessarily share our interests and our values.”
Moreover, INS Janes, a British company specializing in defense topics, said the switch means the “center of gravity of defense expenditures is expected to continue to shift south and east.”
American spending, currently at approximately $645 billion, is still the world’s highest, while it is decreasing by 1.3 percent this year. Meanwhile, China, which is beefing up its armed forces, will for the first time surpass the combined budgets of Britain, France and Germany.
Beijing has earmarked $148 billion for its military, an increase of 6 percent over last year. China is using the money for a planned modernization of its forces, with upgrading its military hardware as a primary focus.
Other Asian Pacific nations are following suit, with South Korea, India and Australia also increasing military spending.
However, military spending increases are the highest in Russia. Military spending in Russia will spiral by more than 44 percent over the next three years as it carries out a modernization of its forces. Russia will spend $78 billion on defense this year, despite a slowdown in economic growth.
Meanwhile, four of the five fastest growing defense markets in 2013 were in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia’s military defense spending has tripled in the past decade. More recently, the Saudis have been rattled by the Obama administration’s nuclear talks with Iran.
Berry Pavel, a former defense officials with the Obama administration, predicts that Russia’s increased military spending will be short lived, based on oil prices, while China will be a more important country to watch with a more long-term and sustained increase.
Keith Urbahan, a former chief of staff to Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. defense secretary under President George W. Bush said China and Russia are working to capitalize on waning American influence in the world.
“These trends are the latest sign of an America in retreat and willing to relinquish its global security responsibilities,” he said. “China and Russia see the vacuum of leadership and are seeking to fill it.”
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/February05/052.html#dvPVYi6wzFdmiLxP.99
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