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The political situation is also reflected in the sale of weapons. Arms dealers increased their sales by 8.5 percent according to a report last year. One country leads by a particularly large margin.
Global spending on arms and armaments continued to rise over the past year. The international peace research institute Sipri estimated the total turnover of the 25 largest international arms companies at a total of US $ 361 billion in 2019, which is equivalent to almost € 300 billion. That’s 8.5 percent more than the previous year. The report was published in Stockholm on Monday.
The most important traders are by far the United States. The twelve US companies included in the ranking represent 61 percent of sales worldwide. Only the five largest arms manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics had sales of 166 billion US dollars (136 billion euros).
China remains second in the global arms trade with 16 percent. The four Chinese companies listed by Sipri increased their sales by 4.8 percent in one year. Sipri researcher Nan Tian put it this way: “Chinese arms companies benefit from the military modernization programs of the People’s Liberation Army.” Most of the products are sold in your own country.
Russia ranks third
In third place in the world ranking is Russia with a 3.9 percent share. Foreign exports of Russian arms manufacturers are restricted by sanctions resulting from the conflict in Ukraine and the occupation of the Crimean peninsula. The revenues of the two listed companies decreased by a total of US $ 634 million (€ 522 million). A third Russian producer came out of the top 25.
“Russia is a very strong player and has a strong defense industry,” said Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, director of the Sipri research program on arms trade and military spending. However, due to the economic situation, the modernization of the army has slowed down. “This, of course, means a decrease in the sales of the Russian arms industry, because its main customer, the Russian government, orders less.”
Criticism of high spending on weapons
The environmental protection organization Greenpeace criticized the increase in spending on weapons and called for a “radical rethink”. “An undesirable development is rarely displayed so clearly: Hundreds of millions of people around the world are threatened by the corona pandemic, millions are infected and countless do not have adequate medical care,” said the Greenpeace disarmament expert. , Alexander Lurz, from the dpa news agency. Sipri’s figures showed “where scarce money should not flow: increasingly into the pockets of the international arms industry.”
The six largest Western European companies together accounted for 18 percent. German companies are not in the top 25. Germany’s largest defense company Rheinmetall increased its sales by 4 percent to US $ 3.9 billion (€ 3.2 billion).
Béraud-Sudreau said the increase in arms spending is also a reflection of tensions in international politics. This development has already been observed since Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula in 2014. After US President Donald Trump, who has now been removed, moved into the White House in 2016, it became stronger.
