Military tensions are increasing in various regions of the world, with the two wars in Ukraine and Palestine/Gaza leading to a never-ending arms race between countries around the world. Unlike the Cold War era, when the United States and the former Soviet Union competed over nuclear weapons after World War II, most countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Central and South America each sought ways to survive through armaments. a strengthening competition.
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Military tensions have increased in various regions of the world, with the two wars in Ukraine and Palestine/Gaza leading to a never-ending arms race between countries around the world. Unlike the Cold War era, when the United States and the former Soviet Union competed over nuclear weapons after World War II, this time around, most countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Central and South America are each seeking a way to survive through armaments. . There is competition for reinforcement.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the US presidential election in November this year, threatened to “cut even military support for alliances such as South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).” Since then, the arms race has become increasingly fierce. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Finland and Sweden abandoned their long tradition of neutrality and joined the NATO military alliance, and have since increased their military spending. Some countries in Africa and Latin America have significantly increased their military spending following civil wars. Tobias Ellwood, a member of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, recently said in an interview with Politico magazine: “My impression is that the world is similar to that of 1937 (just before the Second World War). »
On May 2, this newspaper analyzed the current state of real military spending (converted to reflect exchange rates and prices) by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the research institute on Swedish government security. It was found that 102 countries out of 149 (69%) whose military spending was accounted for increased their military spending in 2023 compared to the previous year. Two thirds of the planet are increasing their armaments. When the war in Ukraine began in 2022, only half of the world (74 countries, 50%) had strengthened their militaries, but in the year since, almost 30 countries have strengthened their militaries. The countries that rank first and second in terms of actual increase in military spending are Russia ($24.1 billion = about 3.7 trillion yen at the current rate) and Ukraine ($20.9 billion = approximately 3.2 trillion yen), which is currently at war. Actual U.S. military spending in 2022 decreased from the previous year, but actual spending increased in 2023 due to a significant increase in military activities related to support for Ukraine and Israel and the cross-strait issues (China and Taiwan). .
Although military spending declined in 2022, it increased last year in 45 countries, including the United States, South Korea and Israel. In the case of the United States, which ranks first in military spending, the nominal defense budget for this year (based on the fiscal year from October 2023 to September 2024) is 886 billion dollars (approximately 135.6 trillion yen, or approximately 1.219 trillion won). . The United States was once called the “country of billions” because its defense budget was close to 1 trillion won, but this year the country’s defense budget finally exceeded 1 trillion won. .
Military powers are significantly increasing their spending on research and development (R&D), particularly in anticipation of all-out war with potential adversaries. SIPRI analyzed that: “In the case of India, which increased its real spending by 4.1% last year due to growing tensions between China and Pakistan, most of the increase in spending was devoted to investments for “military independence”. Among the 149 countries, the country with the highest real spending growth rate last year was Congo (105%), which is still in the midst of a civil war, followed by South Sudan (78%), which is also in the middle of a civil war. a civil war. Actual military spending last year in the Dominican Republic, a country neighboring Haiti in Central America where violent organizations have taken control of the government and are plagued by internal violence, also showed a relatively high growth rate. (14%).
Most members of NATO, the largest Western military alliance, who were once reluctant to increase defense spending, have increased their military spending. Of the 31 countries, excluding Iceland (not counted), 28 countries increased their military spending last year compared to the previous year, including the United States, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and Turkey. In 2022, 21 countries increased their military spending compared to the previous year. The analysis suggests that member countries are competing to increase their military spending because Trump, who aims to return to the White House, adheres to the principle of isolationism. Some NATO member countries have recently argued that the target value of defense spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) should be further increased by “2%” and revised upwards to “3%”. . According to NATO, defense spending exceeds 2% of GDP in 3 out of 26 member countries in 2014, 11 out of 31 last year and 18 out of 32 this year.
Journalist Jeong Seok-woo
Chosun Ilbo / Chosun Ilbo Japanese version
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