Subscribe google conflic entries that they like China tensions push India into world's top 5 defense spenders India has joined the US and China as one of the world's five biggest military spenders reflecting geopolitical tensions as well as the country's reliance on imported weapons and sprawling personnel costs New Delhi's defense spending rose by five point five percent to sixty three point nine billion dollar in 2017 and has now passed France the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a report released Wednesday worldwide military spending rose marginally last year to one point seven three trillion dollars or roughly 2.2 percent of global gross domestic product the group said the list of the world's biggest military spenders has remained consistent in recent years dominated by the US and China which spent 610 billion dollars and two hundred and twenty eight billion dollars respectively according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute which researches global arms spending however the group said the balance of military spending is clearly shifting toward Asia Oceania and the Middle East driven largely by spending increases in China India and Saudi Arabia arms race India is now among the top five countries spending the most on defense in 2017 China spends far more on its military than any other power in Asia beachings chair of worldwide military expenditure rose to 13 percent in 2017 from just 5.8 percent in 2008 according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute the Chinese government has increased spending eight point five percent per year between two and seven and 2016 and its leaders seem committed to increases in defense spending for the foreseeable future even as China's economic growth slows according to a US Department of Defense report on China's military in India's case however increased spending doesn't mean the armed forces are deploying state-of-the-art equipment the rise in defense spending mostly goes towards salaries and pensions for roughly one point four million serving personnel and more than two million veterans said Laxman Kumar veera a research fellow with New Delhi's Institute for Defense studies and analyses because so much money is consumed by manpower costs there isn't enough left over to buy equipment be Hiro said India's own army echoes that sentiment Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Sir Roth Chan told a parliamentary committee in March the current budget barely accounts for inflation and tax payments only 14 percent goes toward military modernization compared to 63 percent for salaries Chan said Paycheck problems India's armed forces spent so much on salaries there's not enough for buying new equipment Stockholm International Peace Research Institute previously ranked India as the world's largest arms importer because its domestic defence manufacturing industry remains curtailed by red tape a reliance on state-owned defense companies and procurement delays faced with geopolitical threats from Pakistan and China Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to boost domestic defence production with his maken India a program made in India since Modi took power in 2014 defense procurement from Indian vendors actually declined yet Ministry of Defence data released in response to a parliamentary questions show that procurement from Indian vendors has declined since 2014 when Modi came to power while procurement from foreign vendors increased slightly overall equipment procure and also dipped the data show Music
