The
AK-47 has been produced in greater numbers than any other
assault rifle and has been used in conflicts all over the world.
The 'arms industry' is a massive global
industry and
business which
manufacturers and sells
weapons and
military technology and equipment.
Defense companies produce arms mainly for the
armed forces of
States. Products include
guns,
ammunition,
missiles,
military aircraft,
military vehicles,
ships,
electronic Systems, and more. The arms industry also conducts significant
research and development
It is estimated that yearly, over 1 trillion dollars are spent on military expenditures and arms worldwide.
[1] In 2004 over $30 billion were spent in the international arms trade (a figure that excludes domestic sales of arms)
[2] (Many industrialized countries have a domestic arms industry to supply their own military forces. Some countries also have a substantial legal or illegal domestic trade in weapons for use by its citizens. The illegal trade in
small arms is prevalent in many countries and regions affected by political instability. Sometimes legally purchased weaponry is re-sold for illegal purposes.
Contracts to supply a given country's military are awarded by the government, making arms contracts of substantial political importance. The link between politics and the arms trade can result in the development of what US President
Eisenhower described as a
military-industrial complex, where the armed forces, commerce, and politics become closely linked. Various corporations, some publicly held, others private, bid for these contracts, which are often worth many billions of dollars. Sometimes, such as the contract for the new Joint Strike Fighter, a competitive tendering process takes place, where the decision is made on the merits of the design submitted by the companies involved. Other times, no bidding or competition takes place.
In the
Cold War Era, arms exports were used by both the
Soviet Union and the
United States to influence their standings in other countries, particularly
Third World Countries. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, global arms exports initially fell slightly, but have since grown again to cold war levels.
[3] Russia is the world's top supplier of weapons, a spot it has held since 2001, accounting for around 30% of worldwide weapons sales, followed by the United States, France, Germany and Britain.
[4][5]
The
Control Arms Campaign, founded by
Amnesty International,
Oxfam, and the
International Action Network on Small Arms, estimates that there are over 600 million items of small arms in circulation, and that over 1135 companies based in more than 98 different countries manufacture small arms as well as their various components and ammunition. According to Oxfam, an estimated 500,000 individuals die in small arms-conflicts every year, approximately one death per minute.
[6]
The US is by far the largest seller of arms, and its list of clients reveals a tension between the drive for profit and a desire to curry favor worldwide versus more publicly stated desires to promote democracy in the world. 20 of the top 25 U.S. arms clients in the developing world in 2003-- a full 80%-- were either undemocratic regimes or governments with records of major human rights abuses, according to the US State Department’s Human Rights Report.
[7]
Sectors
Aerospace systems
Encompassing military aircraft (both land-based and
naval aviation), conventional missiles, and
military satellites, this is the most technologically advanced sector of the market. It is also the least competitive from an economic standpoint, with a handful of companies dominating the entire market. The top clients and major producers are virtually all located in the West, with the United States easily in first place. Prominent aerospace firms include
Lockheed Martin,
Boeing, and
BAE Systems. There are also several multinational consortiums mostly involved in the manufacturing of fighter jets, such as the
Eurofighter. The largest military contract in history, signed in October 2001, involved the development of the
Joint Strike Fighter.
[8]
Naval systems
All of the world's
major powers maintain substantial maritime forces to provide a forward presence and enhance overall mobility, with the largest nations possessing
aircraft carriers,
nuclear submarines and advanced
anti-air defense systems. The vast majority of military ships are conventionally powered, but some are nuclear-powered. The
U.S. Navy is by far the largest in the world, and most of the large contracts in this sector are awarded to American firms, such as
Newport News Shipbuilding (a subsidiary of
Northrop Grumman) and
Bath Iron Works and
Electric Boat (subsidiaries of
General Dynamics). There is also a large global market in second-hand naval vessels, generally purchased by
developing countries from Western governments.
[8]
Land-based weapons
This category includes everything from
light arms to
heavy artillery, and the majority of producers are small. Many are located in Third World countries. International trade in
handguns,
machine guns,
tanks,
armored personal carriers and other relatively inexpensive weapons is substantial. There is relatively little regulation at the international level, and as a result, many legitimately produced weapons fall into the hands of rebel forces, terrorists, or regimes under sanctions.
[8]
World's largest defense budgets
This is a list of the fifteen countries with the highest defense budgets for the year 2006. The information is from the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,
[11] Total World spending amounted to $ 1,158 billion USD in 2006, with nearly half of the total amount spent by the
United States.
★ Note 1: data for China and Russia are estimates, their expenditures are not well known.
★ Note 2: data for Iran and Saudi Arabia include expenditure for public order and safety and might
be slight overestimates.
★ Note 3: in the percentage spending per GDP, the GDP list (2006) of the International Monetary Fund was taken.
List of major weapon manufacturers
: ''For a complete list, see:
List of modern armament manufacturers''
Institutes participating in weapon research and warfare simulation
★
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research [2]
★
Bolt, Beranek and Newman
★
QinetiQ
★
World Security Institute
See also
★
Small arms proliferation issues
★
European Union arms embargo on China
★
List of National Defense Industries
★
Private military contractors
★
Campaign Against Arms Trade
★
Canadian Arms trade
★
List of countries by military expenditures
★
Permanent arms economy
★
Military funding of science
★
Military Keynesianism
★
Peace dividend
★
Guns versus butter theory
★
Al Yamamah arms deal
References
1. www.globalissues.org
2. BBC
3. www.sipri.org
4. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1661277.htm
5. http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=2d383264-f486-4305-9336-d6178d88f3b2&k=70609
6. www.oxfam.org.uk
7. Arms Trade Resource Center of the World Policy Institute
8. www.fpa.org
9. www.fpa.org
10. www.fpa.org
11. [1]
External links
★
Defense Sector Investment Benchmark - SPADE Defense Index (AMEX: DXS)
★
World Security Institute's Center for Defense Information
★
Campaign Against Arms Trade (UK)
★
SIPRI arms industry reports and database
★
SIPRI list of Top 100 arms-producing companies
★
The Guardian's arms trade report
★
List of participators of the Defense System and Equipment international conference in London, 2003
★
FAS's Arms Sales Monitoring Project
★
UN Department for Disarmament Affairs
★
ControlArms.org
★
Amnesty International: Arms Trade Treaty
★
The British Library - finding information on the defense industry
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