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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ibnanv" data-source="post: 16352627" data-attributes="member: 218596">Global Defense Budget Seen Climbing In 2014; First Total Increase  Since 2009 As Russia Surpasses Britain And Saudi Arabia Continues Its  Security Spending Spree       As the world digs out from the economic downturn of 2009, it  seems that annual growth in global defense spending is back. Total  global defense spending is seen increasing 0.6 percent from $1.538  trillion in 2013 to $1.547 trillion in 2014, according to a forecast  released Tuesday in London from IHS Jane’s Aerospace, Defence & Security.  If the forecast proves accurate, it will be the first time since 2009  that the world grew spending on military hardware and armies since 2009.                         The top 20 spenders shelled out a combined $1.316 trillion on  defense-related expenditures in 2013, with the United States making up  just over 44 percent of that spending at $582.4 billion. Countries in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia and Oman, and a  regional arms race in Asia is fueling much of this expected growth as  Europe still flounders in sovereign debt doldrums and the U.S. prunes  spending from highs unseen since World War II if you include Afghanistan  and Iraq. “With military budgets among many of the major NATO nations due to  continue to contract over the next 12 months, the center of gravity of  defense expenditure is expected to continue to shift south and east in  2014, following the trend of global economic expansion,” said Paul  Burton, director, IHS Jane’s Aerospace, Defence & Security, in a  statement announcing the forecast. “Russia, Asia and the Middle East  will provide the impetus behind the growth in global military spending  expected this year and will drive the recovery projected from 2016  onwards.”    <img src="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2014/02/05/2013-defense-budgets-top-20.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />              In 2013, Russia moved up to the No.  3 slot as the largest defense spender. Saudi Arabia has been moving up  the ranks in recent years.                 IBTimes          One of the more notable developments from 2013 was the increased  spending of the Russian Federation, which pushed past the U.K. to become  the third-largest spender after the U.S. and China. Russia is expected  to boost spending 44 percent over the next three years. Meanwhile, No. 2  China is expected to spend more than Europe’s top three spenders (the  U.K., France and Germany) by the end of next year. China’s growing  military might is helping fuel a soft regional arms race. Asia Pacific  is the only region that grew defense budgets between 2009 and 2014 as  the world’s total saw annual declines. “In Asia, the growth of defense budgets is accelerating and military  procurements are rising,” said John Chipman, director-general and CEO of  the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS),  during the launch Wednesday of the IISS’s annual assessment of the  global military balance. “Most national defense budgets in the West  contracted further and governments grappled with the need to balance  financial imperatives against the reality of an uncertain strategic  environment.” Five of the world’s fastest growing defense budgets are located in  the Middle East, according to IHS estimates. Saudi Arabia, in  particular, concerned about protecting its monarchy and the country’s  oil assets from extremist attacks and concerned about Iran’s influence  on the region, has greatly boosted spending on military hardware,  infrastructure and training. IHS ranks the largest Gulf Cooperation  Council member as the ninth-largest defense spender in the world at  $42.9 billion after increasing its defense budget an estimated 19  percent last year. The country is highly secretive about how much it  spends on defense, so this is an educated estimate at best. The IISS  puts Saudi Arabia’s defense budget much higher than the IHS, at $59.6  billion, which places the country as the fourth-largest spender.     <img src="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2014/02/05/iiss-data.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />              The London-based International  Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) released its assessment of the  world's military balance. It places Saudi Arabia much higher on the list  than the IHS's estimate. The IISS's list of the top 15 defense spenders  also ranks Israel higher and includes Iran.                 IISS          As you can see from the chart below, the U.S. continues to be in the  lead, by far, on defense spending. It spent 2.7 times more than China  and Russia combined and it spent nearly 11 percent more than the 17  other countries combined.     <img src="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2014/02/05/us-defense-spending-compared-rest-world.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />              By all estimates, including the one  provided by the IHS on Tuesday, the U.S. continues to greatly outspend  the rest of the world on defense.</blockquote>

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