Military Spending

Taiwan reports 12 PLA aircraft, 8 naval vessels near its territory

Earlier on October 4, Taiwan's President William Lai stated that the People's Republic of China (PRC) cannot be considered the "Motherland" of the people of Taiwan

Japan's defence ministry seeks record budget amidst growing Chinese threat

Japan's Defence Ministry Friday sought a record 8.5 trillion yen (USD 59 billion) budget for the next year to fortify its deterrence on southwestern islands against China's increasing threat, while focusing on unmanned weapons and AI to make up for the declining number of servicemembers as a result of the country's shrinking population. The ministry's request for 2025 marks the third year of Japan's rapid five-year military buildup plan under the government's ongoing security strategy. Japan aims to spend 43 trillion yen (USD 297 billion) through 2027 to double its annual military spending to around 10 trillion yen, making it the world's third-largest military spender after the United States and China. The budget request was approved at the Defence Ministry meeting Friday ahead of a submission to the Finance Ministry for negotiations through December. Japan has been rapidly building up the defense of the southwestern region in recent years amid China's growing military threats and

Canada's may be on track to align with Nato's military spending guidelines

Canada looks on track to meet NATO's military spending guideline soon, Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday, notably by boosting investment in the Arctic near its shared border with Russia as the region warms quickly due to climate change. After Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO allies agreed to halt budget cuts and move toward spending 2% of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. Canada was barely spending 1% at the time. Last year, as it became clear that Russia's war with Ukraine would grind on, they decided that 2% should be a spending minimum. According to NATO figures, Canada was estimated to be spending 1.33% of GDP on its military budget in 2023. My defence spending budget will increase by 27% next year over this year, Blair said at a meeting with his NATO counterparts in Brussels. We've begun the important processes of acquiring the additional capabilities that we require (and) to meet NATO's requirements of us. He said that Cana

India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report

India was the fourth largest military spender globally in 2023 with an expenditure of USD 83.6 billion, behind the US, China and Russia, according to a report by an independent international think-tank. The report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shared on its website in April also said the "rise" in global military spending last year can be attributed "primarily to the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East". The military expenditure went up in all five geographical regions, with major spending increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, it said. The report comes amid ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world such as the ones involving Israel-Hamas, Iran-Israel, Russian-Ukraine besides volatility in the Red Sea region. "World military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of USD 2443 billion. The 6.8 per cent increase in 202

India ranks 4th in global military spending at $83.6 bn in 2023: Report

India has maintained its position as the fourth-highest spender for two consecutive years

Defence Minister Rajnath visits Siachen; reviews military preparedness

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday visited Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, and reviewed India's overall military preparedness in the region. Singh's visit to Siachen came over a week after the Indian Army marked the 40th year of its presence in the strategically key region. The defence minister, accompanied by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, reviewed the overall security situation in the region, officials said. Singh also interacted with the soldiers deployed in Siachen. The Siachen glacier, which is at a height of around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram range, is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Under its 'Operation Meghdoot' the Indian Army established its full control over the Siachen Glacier in April, 1984. The Indian Army strengthened its presence in Siachen over the last few years. In January last year, Captain Shiva Chauhan from the Army's Corps of Engineers was posted at a frontline pos

Soon India will become provider of services to other nations: CDS Chauhan

Addressing the Indian Defspace Symposium 2024 here, General Chauhan said that space is called the final frontier

ICG rebased at northern, southern flanks of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Two Indian Coast Guard ships have been rebased at northern and southern flanks of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Diglipur and Campbell Bay respectively."In a major boost to maritime security in Andaman & Nicobar islands, @IndiaCoastGuard ships Rajtarang & Rajkiran have been rebased at northern & southern flanks of Islands at Diglipur & Campbell Bay respectively," the Indian Coast Gurad said in a post on 'X'."The rebasing will ensure enhanced coastal security, #MaritimeLawEnforcement, EEZ surveillance, search & rescue, pollution response, & swift response to maritime contingencies," it added.Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard has strategically based additional hovercraft at Jakhau, close to the Indo-Pakistan maritime frontier and a capital ship at Vadinar in the Gulf of Kutch, according to an official statement issued on Monday.ICGS Samudra Pavak, a specialised Marine Pollution Control Vessel, will now operate from the new Coast Guard Jetty at ...

US sanctions 6 individuals, 2 entities; targets N Korea's military funds

A US Treasury Department statement and South Korea's foreign ministry said the action was taken in coordination between the two countries

US pledges additional $100M to deploy multinational force for Haiti

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced an additional USD 100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force mission to Haiti following a meeting with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica to halt the country's violent crisis. Blinken also announced another USD 33 million in humanitarian aid and the creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and Haitian stakeholders that would expedite the creation of a presidential college. He said the college would take concrete steps he did not identify to meet the needs of Haitian people and enable the pending deployment of the multinational force to be led by Kenya. The joint proposal has the backing of members of Caricom, a regional trade bloc that held Monday's urgent meeting. I think we can all agree: Haiti is on the brink of disaster, said Guyanese President Irfaan Ali. We must take quick and decisive action. He said that he is very confident that we have found commonality to support what he described

Defence ministry signs 5 military procurement deals worth Rs 39,125 cr

The defence ministry on Friday inked five military procurement deals worth Rs 39,125 crore. Of the five contracts, one was with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for procurement of aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft, according to the ministry. Two contracts were firmed up with Larsen & Toubro Limited for the procurement of close-in weapon system (CIWS) and high-power radar. Two other deals were finalised with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited for the procurement of BrahMos missiles. "These deals will further strengthen indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on foreign-origin equipment manufacturers in future," the ministry said.

World faces dangerous decade as instability, military spending rise: Report

The world has entered an era of increasing instability as countries around the globe boost military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel and China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. That's the conclusion of a new report Tuesday from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which also highlighted rising tensions in the Arctic, North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the rise of military regimes in the Sahel region of Africa as contributing to a deteriorating security environment. The London-based think tank has compiled its annual estimate of the global military situation for the past 65 years. "The current military-security situation heralds what is likely to be a more dangerous decade, characterized by the brazen application by some of military power to pursue claims evoking a 'might is right' approach as well as the desire among like-minded democracies for stronger bilateral and multilateral defense ties in

Russia speeds up citizenship path for foreigners who enlist in military

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree that speeds up a path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who enlist in the country's military amid the 22-month-old war in Ukraine. The move comes as Moscow is trying to replenish its troops in Ukraine by various methods, including the recruitment of migrants. Russia is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of people from poorer Central Asian countries, and many of them seek citizenship each year. Putin first allowed fast-track citizenship for foreigners who sign contracts with the Russian army in September 2022, shortly after announcing a partial mobilization to draft 300,000 reservists for Ukraine. Those immigrants who signed a contract for at least a year and take part in active hostilities for at least six months were allowed to apply for citizenship without demonstrating sufficient knowledge of Russian or the fact that they'd lived in the country for five straight years under a residency permit. Spouses and children were also

India in 2023 focused on acquiring new military platforms, weaponry

India firmed up defence procurement worth over Rs 3.50 lakh crore in 2023 as the lingering border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh as well as the crises and conflicts around the world kept the military focused on ways to enhance the country's overall combat prowess to firmly deal with any security challenges. India also went on an overdrive in expanding its military engagement with like-minded countries in its neighbourhood and beyond in the face of China's relentless attempts to become a regional hegemon and establish its primacy in South Asia. The Indian troops guarding the nearly 3,500 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) maintained an assertive approach as the eastern Ladakh border spilled into the fourth year even as both sides held several rounds of high-level military and diplomatic talks to resolve it. The face-off between the two of the planet's biggest military forces mainly continued in Demchok and Depsang regions though both sides completed disengagement in several other

Top US, Chinese military officials hold 1st high-level talks in over a year

The restoration of communication was identified as a priority in the recent talks between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping

Putin signs Russia's largest national budget, bolstering military spending

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a national budget for the next three years that increases spending by around 25 per cent and reportedly devotes a record amount to defense as the the country's military operation in Ukraine drags on. The budget foresees spending in 2024 of 36.6 trillion rubles ( USD 415 billion) with an expected deficit of 1.595 trillion rubles (USD 9.5 billion). After the budget was passed by the lower house of the parliament, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said it was developed specifically to fund the military and to mitigate the impact of international sanctions imposed after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Record low unemployment, higher wages and targeted social spending should help the Kremlin ride out the domestic impact of pivoting the economy toward the military, but could pose a problem in the long term, analysts say. Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutin

S Korea's Yoon seeks a strong military amid deepening N Korean-Russian tie

South Korea's president on Tuesday urged his troops to build an unwavering military spirt and train harder, as he used an Armed Forces Day speech to vow immediate retaliation against any potential provocation by North Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech came amid growing concern that North Korea is pushing to acquire Russian support to boost its nuclear arsenal in return for refilling Russia's conventional arms stores exhausted by its war with Ukraine. Above all, the cornerstone of our robust national defense lies in your unwavering military spirit, strong commitment, and a clear definition of who your enemies are, Yoon said to troops during the Armed Forces Day ceremony, after reviewing soldiers and weapons systems at a military airport near Seoul. I strongly urge you to train hard every day with the discipline demanded in real combat situations, Yoon said. Yoon called North Korea's advancing nuclear programme an existential threat to our people," but said South Korea's milita

US approves funding for first-ever transfer of military equipment to Taiwan

The package, which is part of the State Department's foreign military financing (FMF) program, totals $ 80 million and will be paid for by US taxpayers

Spurred border tensions: India's military spending rose by 6% in 2022

China, the second highest military spender, is estimated to have spent $292 billion last year, the report added

Gaining momentum: World military spend hits all-time high of $2.24 trillion

Defense expenditure increased by 3.7 per cent in real terms to reach a record high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute