Middle East almost doubles weapons imports, as US and Europe remain the main suppliers and China joins top-tier exporters

The global transfer of major weapons systems rose over the past five years to the highest volume since the end of the cold war as the Middle East nearly doubled its imports, according to an annual report on arms sales.



The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said on Monday that more weapons were delivered between 2012 and 2016 than any other five-year period since 1990. Saudi Arabia, which leads a military intervention in Yemen that has cost hundreds of civilian lives, was the world’s second largest importer after India, increasing its intake by 212%, mainly from the US and the UK.



Asia was the main recipient region in the world as India dwarfed regional rivals, China and Pakistan, by accounting for 13% of the global imports. While India received most of its arms from Russia, the Saudis relied heavily on US arms. US and Russia together supplied more than half of all exports. China, France and Germany were also among the top five exporters.



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“With no regional arms control instruments in place, states in Asia continue to expand their arsenals,” said Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher at Sipri’s arms and military expenditure programme. Vietnam, in particular, dramatically increased imports by 202%, which puts it in the list of 10 largest importers compared to its hitherto position in the 29th place.



“While China is increasingly able to substitute arms imports with indigenous products, India remains dependent on weapons technology from many willing suppliers, including Russia, the USA, European states, Israel and South Korea,” Wezeman said.



Despite staggering figures in the Middle East, which includes a 245% increase in the imports of arms by Qatar, Iran, which is under an arms embargo, received only 1.2% of total arms transfers to the region. In 2016, Iran took delivery of S-300 air defence missile systems from Russia in its first significant import of major weapons system since 2007.



The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, responding to Donald Trump’s warning that the US was putting Iran “on notice” after testing a ballistic missile, had complained that “we spend a fraction of their expenditure on weapons,” referring to Iran’s Arab neighbours.



“Over the past five years, most states in the Middle East have turned primarily to the USA and Europe in their accelerated pursuit of advanced military capabilities”, said Pieter Wezeman, another senior researcher at Sipri.



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The high demands for arsenals in the Middle East was in contrast with the plummeting oil prices. “Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions.”

China solidified its position as a top-tier supplier by increasing exports by 6.2% compared to 3.8% in the period between 2007 and 2011, while Germany decreased its exports by 36% between the same period. Algeria was the largest importer in Africa.

The US’s main three customers were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Saudi Arabia was particularly a lucrative market for the UK, which sold almost half of its total weapons to the monarchy.



“The USA supplies major arms to at least 100 countries around the world — significantly more than any other supplier state,” said Aude Fleurant, director of the Sipri’s arms and military expenditure programme. “Both advanced strike aircraft with cruise missiles and other precision-guided munitions and the latest generation air and missile defence systems account for a significant share of US arms exports.”</s>The global transfer of major weapons systems rose over the past five years to the highest volume since the end of the Cold War, according to an annual report on weapons sales released on Monday.

 

 The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in the report said the Middle East nearly doubled its arms imports and India's share in the global imports went up to 13 per cent. 

 

 The report said that more weapons were delivered between 2012 and 2016 than during any other five-year period since 1990, the Guardian reported. 

 

 Saudi Arabia, which leads a military intervention in Yemen that has cost hundreds of civilian lives, was the world's second largest importer after India, increasing its intake by 212 per cent, mainly from the US and Britain. 

 

 Asia was the main recipient region in the world as India dwarfed regional rivals, China and Pakistan, by accounting for 13 per cent of the global imports. 

 

 While India received most of its arms from Russia, Saudi Arabia relied heavily on US arms. 

 

 The US and Russia together supplied more than half of all exports. China, France and Germany were also among the top five exporters. 

 

 "With no regional arms control instruments in place, states in Asia continue to expand their arsenals," said Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher at Sipri's arms and military expenditure programme. 

 

 Vietnam, in particular, dramatically increased imports by 202 per cent, which puts it in the list of 10 largest importers. 

 

 "While China is increasingly able to substitute arms imports with indigenous products, India remains dependent on weapons technology from many willing suppliers, including Russia, the US, European states, Israel and South Korea," Wezeman said. 

 

 Despite staggering figures in the Middle East, which includes a 245 per cent increase in the imports of arms by Qatar, Iran, which is under an arms embargo, received only 1.2 per cent of total arms transfers to the region, the report said. 

 

 In 2016, Iran took delivery of S-300 air defence missile systems from Russia in its first significant import of major weapons system since 2007. 

 

 China solidified its position as a top-tier supplier by increasing exports by 6.2 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent in the period between 2007 and 2011, while Germany decreased its exports by 36 per cent between the same period. Algeria was the largest importer in Africa.

 

 The US's main three customers were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. 

 

 Saudi Arabia was particularly a lucrative market for the UK, which sold almost half of its total weapons to the monarchy, the report added.</s>Between 2012-2016, arms imports in terms of volume by countries in Asia and Oceania accounted for 43 percent of global imports, a 7.7 rise compared to the previous 2007-2011 period (AFP Photo/Sergei Supinsky )

Stockholm (AFP) - Worldwide arms trade has risen to its highest level since the Cold War in the last five years, driven by a demand from the Middle East and Asia, a study said Monday.

Between 2012-2016, arms imports in terms of volume by countries in Asia and Oceania accounted for 43 percent of global imports, a 7.7 rise compared to the previous 2007-2011 period, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

"Transfer of major weapons in 2012-16 reached their highest volume for any five-year period since the end of" the Cold War, the independent institute said in a statement.

The share of Asia and Oceania in international imports was slightly higher (44 percent) between 2007 and 2011.

The share of countries in the Middle East and the Gulf monarchies jumped from 17 percent to 29 percent, far ahead of Europe (11 percent, down seven points), the Americas (8.6 percent, down 2.4 percentage points) and Africa (8.1 percent, down 1.3 points).

"Over the past five years, most states in the Middle East have turned primarily to the USA and Europe in their accelerated pursuit of advanced military capabilities", said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

"Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions," he added.

Sipri said worldwide arms imports and exports over the last five years have reached a record level since 1950.

Saudi Arabia was the second largest importer of weapons in the world (up 212 percent), behind India, which unlike China, does not have a production at national level yet.

The United States remains the top weapons exporter with a 33 percent market share (up 3 point), ahead of Russia (23 percent, down 1 point), China (6.2 percent, up 2.4 points) and France (6.0 percent, down 0.9 points) passing Germany (5.6 percent, down 3.8 points).

These five countries account for almost 75 percent of global exports of heavy weapons.

France's boost in the export ranking is a result of important contracts signed with Egypt, which acquired Mistral-style warships and Rafale combat aircraft.

Aude Fleurant, head of the armaments program at Sipri, told AFP that "competition is fierce among European producers" with France, Germany and Britain in the lead.

The United States and France are the main weapons providers for the Middle East while Russia and China are the main exporters to Asia.</s>Major Middle East arms imports jumped by 86 percent between 2012 and 2016, double from the previous five-year period.

The global trade in heavy weapons has skyrocketed to its highest level since the Cold War, with arms sales to the Middle East surging, a new report says.

The five biggest exporters - the United States, Russia, China, France and Germany - accounted for 74 percent of total arms exports, according to research published on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In the Middle East, arms imports jumped by 86 percent between 2012 and 2016, accounting for 29 percent of global weapons purchases. The increase was nearly double from the previous five-year period studied.

Saudi Arabia was the world's second largest arms importer in 2012-16 with an increase of 212 percent on 2007–11. Weapon imports by neighbouring Qatar, meanwhile, surged 245 percent.

The majority of other states in the Middle East also increased arms imports, although at a lower rate than the Gulf nations.

"Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions," Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme, said.

"Saudi Arabia and the UAE take the lead in what is one of their first efforts to intervene in a neighbouring country [Yemen] all by themselves, and they can do so because over the years they have acquired these large amounts of advanced weapons."

Conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths over the past few years.

Governments around the world spent $1.57 trillion on "defence" purchases in 2016, according to Jane's Defence Budgets.

India was the world's largest importer of major arms in 2012-16, accounting for 13 percent of the global total - far greater than regional rivals China and Pakistan, SIPRI reported.

"With no regional arms control instruments in place, states in Asia continue to expand their arsenals," said Wezeman.

"While China is increasingly able to substitute arms imports with indigenous products, India remains dependent on weapons technology from many willing suppliers, including Russia, the US, European states, Israel and South Korea."

In Africa, Algeria was the largest arms importer, accounting for 46 percent of all weapons sales on the continent. Nigeria, Sudan and Ethiopia were the largest buyers of heavy weapons in sub-Saharan Africa.</s>The volume of arms trading grew by 8.4% when compared with the previous five year period, from 2007 to 2011, according to a new study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The United States and Russia remain the world's biggest suppliers of heavy weapons, selling 33% and 23% of the global total, respectively, with nearly half of US weapons exports going to the Middle East and the majority of Russia's to Asia.

China (6.2%), France (6%) and Germany (5.6%) made up the top five and accounted for nearly three quarters of total arms exports. China in particular increased its exports by more than 70% over the previous five years, while both France and Germany saw their exports decline significantly.

States in Asia and Oceania accounted for 43% of global arms imports between 2012 and 2016, with India alone buying up 13% of the global total to take the prize of world's largest importer of major arms.

India increased its imports by 43% in the five year period, buying far more than neighbors China and Pakistan. The country, which has the world's fourth biggest defense budget, is also accelerating efforts to produce weapons at home, though for now it remains dependent on external suppliers, SIPRI noted.

"With no regional arms control instruments in place, states in Asia continue to expand their arsenals," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program.

Imports by Southeast Asian countries also jumped, with Vietnam vaulting from the 29th largest importer in the previous period to the 10th largest now, taking in 3% of global arms imports.

Russia and China were the biggest suppliers of weapons to Asia.

The Middle East, where demand grew by 86% between 2007 to 2011 and 2012 to 2016 to reach 29% of all imports, gets most of its destructive technology from the US and France. Saudi Arabia takes second place among arms importers, and purchased 212% more arms than in the previous period. Little Qatar has also developed an astonishing thirst for arms and increased its weapons imports by a massive 245%. Almost all the states in the region increased their arms buying, the report points out.

"Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions," said Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program Pieter Wezeman.

Rounding out the top five importers were the UAE at number three, China — a top exporter and importer — and Algeria. Of the top five, Saudi Arabia and the UAE got most of their weapons from Russia; China, Algeria and India got most of their weapons systems from Russia.

Arms imports to Europe, Africa and the Americas all fell, though the study authors point out that individual trading volumes varied widely. While imports to the Americas fell overall, Mexico increased its weapons buying by nearly 200%.

The study does not cover small arms and uses data from a variety of public sources.</s>NEW DELHI: India was the world’s biggest buyer of weapons in the last five years while global arms trade grew to its highest level since the Cold War, a leading think-tank said.

“India was the world’s largest importer of major arms in 2012-16, accounting for 13 per cent of the global total. Between 2007-11 and 2012-16 it increased its arms imports by 43 per cent. In 2012-16 India’s imports were far greater than those of its regional rivals China and Pakistan,” the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report.

The Middle East region accounted for 29 per cent of global arms imports in 2012-16, recording a growth of 86 percent between the five-year periods of 2007-11 and 2012-16.

Saudi Arabia ranked as the world’s second largest arms importer in 2012-16, with an increase of 212 per cent.

Imports by countries in Southeast Asia increased 6.2 per cent, with Vietnam in particular hiking its imports significantly in 2012-16.

The United States, Russia, China, France and Germany are the world’s top five arms traders, accounting for 74 per cent of total sales.

The volume of global transfers of major weapons has grown continuously since 2004 and increased by 8.4 per cent between the two five-year cycles SIPRI studied. The think-tank noted that arms trade in 2012-16 reached its highest volume for any five-year period since the end of the Cold War.

Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher with SIPRI, said while China is increasingly able to substitute arms imports with indigenous products, India remains dependent on weapons technology from countries such as Russia, the US, European states, Israel and South Korea.

The US was the top arms exporter with a one-third share in global sales and almost half of its weapons were supplied to the Middle East.

Russia’s share was 23 percent in the 2012-16 period and 70 per cent of its arms were bought by India, Vietnam, China and Algeria.

China increased its arms exports from 3.8 to 6.2 per cent between 2007-11 and 2012-16. – Bernama</s>The global arms trade reached the highest levels since the end of the Cold War in 2016, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said Monday.

The spike was fueled by the conflicts in the Middle East and the South China Sea, and the perceived threat from Russia from that country's neighbors.

The U.S. is by far the world's biggest arms exporter. It was responsible for 33% of all weapons exports in the five year period that ended in 2016. Russia was the second biggest arms supplier, with China trailing third.

"The U.S. has delivered a lot of weapons in 2016, both very expensive weapons and strategically important weapons -- missile systems, surveillance and navigation technology," said Aude Fleurant, the institute's director of the Arms and Military Expenditure program.

Related: China's weapons sales to other countries are soaring

"The weight of the U.S. in the global arms trade is so big that it's enough to shape the trend," said Fleurant.

He said the U.S. has delivered major weapons to at least 100 countries in the five year period, significantly higher number than any other supplier.

Of all the weapons the U.S. exported in the last five years, 47% ended up in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, the UEA, and Turkey being the buyers.

Arms imports by countries in the Middle East increased by 86% in the past five years, compared to the five years prior to 2011.

"The tensions in the Middle East have been going on for a number of years, and it is fueling the procurement," Fleurant said.

Most countries in the Middle East are involved in armed conflicts in Syria, Yemen or on their own territory, like Iraq. The violence in Syria erupted nearly seven years ago, fighting in Yemen has been going on for almost two years.

At the same time, relations remain tense between Iran and its neighbors.

Saudi Arabia's arms imports increased by 212% in the five years ending at 2016, compared to the previous five years. The UAE saw 63% increase over the same period, while Kuwaiti imports jumped by 175%.

Iraq has been a major weapons buyer in recent years.

Qatar's imports rose by 245% in the five years period, as part of a procurement program that will multiply its military assets several times, according to the institute.

The rise of oil wealth in the past decade had made it possible for the countries in the Middle East to increase their military procurement.

"Because weapons contracts take a very long time to complete, we are now seeing deliveries that were agreed years ago, when the oil price was high and these countries saw their overall wealth rise," she Fleurant said.

She said the recent crash in oil prices will inevitably lead to a decline in arms trade in the region.

"But this will show up in the trade volumes in a couple of years because the contracts take very long time to finalize," she added.</s>India was the world’s largest importer of major arms in the last five years and its overseas procurement was far greater than that of China and Pakistan, a Stockholm-based think-tank said on Monday. As per latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India accounted for 13 per cent of the total global arms import between 2012–16 which is highest among all the countries.

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The report said while China was increasingly able to substitute arms imports with indigenous products, India remained dependent on weapons technology from Russia, the US, Europe, Israel and South Korea.

“India was the world’s largest importer of major arms in 2012–16, accounting for 13 per cent of the global total,” the leading think-tank said.

It said India increased its arms imports by 43 per cent between 2007–11 and 2012–16 and in the last four years its global procurement was far greater than those of its regional rivals China and Pakistan.

In the last five years, the report found that trade of major weapons has increased to its highest volume since the Cold War, triggered mainly by sudden spurt in demand from Middle East and Asia.

Saudi Arabia was the second largest arms importer in 2012-16, with an increase of 212 per cent compared with 2007–11. Arms imports by Qatar went up by 245 per cent.

According to the report, Russia accounted for a 23 per cent share of global exports in the period 2012–16 and 70 per cent of its arms exports went to India, Vietnam, China and Algeria.

The US was the top arms exporter in 2012–16 with a one-third share of global arms exports and its supplies rose by 21 per cent compared with 2007–11. Almost half of its arms exports went to the Middle East, said the report.

The report said China’s share of global arms exports rose from 3.8 to 6.2 per cent between 2007–11 and 2012–16. “It is now firmly a top-tier supplier, like France and Germany which accounted for 6 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively,” said the think-tank. “The USA supplies major arms to at least 100 countries around the world—significantly more than any other supplier state,” said Dr Aude Fleurant, Director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

The report said arms imports by states in Asia and Oceania accounted for 43 per cent of global imports between 2012 and 2016 which was an increase of 7.7 per cent compared to 2007–11 period.

“The volume transfers of major weapons has grown continuously since 2004 and increased by 8.4 per cent between 2007–11 and 2012–16. Notably, transfers of major weapons in 2012–16 reached their highest volume for any five-year period since the end of the cold war,” the independent institute said in a statement.

It said, between 2007–11 and 2012–16, arms imports by states in the Middle East rose by 86 per cent and accounted for 29 per cent of global imports in 2012–16.

“Over the past five years, most states in the Middle East have turned primarily to the USA and Europe in their accelerated pursuit of advanced military capabilities,” said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

He said despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions.

Imports by states in Europe significantly decreased by 36 per cent between 2007–11 and 2012–16.</s>The global arms trade has risen to its highest level since the end of the Cold War.

The spike was fueled by conflicts in the Middle East, tensions in the South China Sea and the perceived threat from Russia to its neighbors, according to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The U.S. is by far the world's biggest arms exporter, accounting for 33% of all weapons exports in the five years through 2016, the SIPRI report said. Russia was the second biggest supplier, with China third.

Related: China's weapons sales to other countries are soaring

"The U.S. has delivered a lot of weapons in 2016, both very expensive weapons and strategically important weapons -- missile systems, surveillance and navigation technology," said Aude Fleurant, the director of SIPRI's arms and military expenditure program.

"The weight of the U.S. in the global arms trade is so big that it's enough to shape the trend," Fleurant said. It has delivered major weapons to at least 100 countries over the five-year period, significantly more than any other exporting country.

Of all the weapons the U.S. exported in the last five years, 47% ended up in the Middle East. The main buyers were Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey.

Many countries in the Middle East are involved in the armed conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Others like Iraq are battling insurgents on their own territory. The violence in Syria erupted nearly six years ago, while the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen began almost two years ago.

At the same time, relations remain tense between Iran and many of its neighbors.

Arms imports by countries in the Middle East increased by 86% in the five years through 2016, compared with the previous five years. Among the biggest jumps were Saudi Arabia's (up 212%) and Qatar's (up 245%).

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Rising oil wealth had made it possible for Middle Eastern countries to ramp up their military spending -- but that's not expected to last.

"Because weapons contracts take a very long time to complete, we are now seeing deliveries that were agreed years ago, when the oil price was high," Fleurant said.

She said the recent crash in oil prices will inevitably lead to a decline in arms trade in the region.</s>Over the past five years, the global arms trade has increased by 8.4%. This means we are back to the same level as during the Cold War, according to a new report.

According to the report by the Swedish Peace Research Institute SIPRI, the growing demand from the Middle East and Asia has led to the growth.

-We are concerned. Tensions have escalated in several places. It has led to a build-up, and when there are more guns, there is always the risk that they are used, said Aude Fleurant, Manager of SIPRI’s program for weapons and military spending.

The last time the arms flow was at the same level as it was in 2016, was in 1989, just before the Eastern Bloc and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

East and South Asia have accounted for 43% of global arms imports between 2012 and 2016, and the Middle East comes in second place with 29% of imports.

Total imports increased by 7.7% in Asia and 86% in the Middle East.

The biggest exporters are the United States with 33% and Russia with 23%.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the global transfer of weapons between 2012 and 2016 has been higher than any other five-year period since the end of the Cold War, with the Middle East increasing its weapon imports by 212%, second only to India, who accounted for 13% of the world's imports.