Europe shows biggest increase in arms imports

A German Army Airbus A400M lands at Wunstorf Air Base in Germany following evacuation missions in Kabul, August 27, 2021. REUTERS - FABIAN BIMMER

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Europe has seen the strongest growth in the arms trade in the past five years.

And the trend will accelerate sharply with recent announcements of rearmament in the face of the new Russian threat, according to a benchmark report published on Monday by SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

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Europe has become the new hot spot for the arms trade, argues Simon Wezeman, co-author of the report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 

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Several European countries, and first and foremost Germany, have announced massive military investment plans.

To modernize the Bundeswher by forced march, Berlin indicates that it wants to spend 100 billion euros over the next few years.

Because the awakening is as brutal as the entry of Russian tanks into Ukrainian territory.

The Europeans have become aware of their military weakness.

Orders for fighter planes and in particular American F-35s, missiles, artillery and armor should feed the armies of the European continent.

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If Europe's share in the world arms trade has increased from 10 to 13% over the past five years, the movement should accelerate, observe the SIPRI researchers.

In this trade, which each year is close to 100 billion dollars, Asia-Oceania remains the main import zone and the Middle East is the second market.

Asia and Oceania remained the largest importing region for major arms, receiving 43% of global transfers in 2017–21, and 6 states in the region were among the 10 largest importers globally: 🇮🇳, 🇦🇺, 🇨🇳, 🇰🇷, 🇵 🇰 & 🇯🇵.

More on international #ArmsTransfers ➡️ https://t.co/qJHF1cJLWM pic.twitter.com/wuNeqchcFr

— SIPRI (@SIPRIorg) March 14, 2022

In the top of the arms exporters, France occupies the third place, Russia is still in second place behind the United States, nevertheless the recent sanctions on the Russian economy should reshuffle the cards of the arms industry .

Who were the five largest arms exporters in 2017–21?

1) USA🇺🇸

2) Russia🇷🇺

3) France🇫🇷

4) China🇨🇳

5) Germany🇩🇪

Together, they accounted for 77% of all arms exports in 2017–21.

New SIPRI data on global #ArmsTransfers out now ➡️ https://t.co/mwH3tzxdkc pic.twitter.com/ByvoulKxu8

— SIPRI (@SIPRIorg) March 14, 2022

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