Index

Extract from http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp#InContextUSMilitarySpendingVersusRestoftheWorld :

16:   U.S. Military Spending

The United States being the most  formidable military power, it is  worth looking at their spending.

The U.S. military budget request for  Fiscal Year 2005 is $420.7 billion.

· For Fiscal Year 2004 it was  $399.1 billion.

· For Fiscal Year 2003 it was  $396.1 billion.

· For Fiscal Year 2002 it was  $343.2 billion.

· For Fiscal Year 2001 it was $305  billion. And Congress had  increased that budget request to  $310 billion.

· This was up from approximately $288.8 billion, in 2000.

Compared to the rest of the world,  these numbers are indeed staggering.

In Context: U.S. Military  Spending Versus Rest of the  World

Consider the following:

· The US military budget is  almost as much as the rest of the  world's.

· The US military budget is more  than 8 times larger than the  Chinese budget, the second  largest spender.

· The US military budget is more  than 29 times as large as the  combined spending of the seven  “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq,  Libya, North Korea, Sudan and  Syria) who spent $14.4 billion.

· It is more than the combined  spending of the next twenty  three nations.

· The United States and its close  allies account for some two thirds  to three-quarters of all military  spending, depending on who you  count as close allies (typically  NATO countries, Australia,  Canada, Israel, Japan and South  Korea)

· The seven potential “enemies,”  Russia, and China together spend  $116.2 billion, 27.6% of the U.S.  military budget.

Compare this to the previous year »

· The US military budget then  was more than 6 times larger  than the Russian budget, the  second largest spender.

· The US military budget was  more than 37 times as large as  the combined spending of the  seven “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran,  Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan  and Syria).

· Was more than the combined  spending of the next twenty  nations.

· The United States and its close  allies (NATO countries, Australia,  Japan and South Korea) spent  more than the rest of the world  combined

O This accounted for some two  thirds of all military spending.

O Together they spent approximately 57 times more than the  seven rogue states.

· The seven potential “enemies,”  Russia, and China together spent  $123 billion, 31% of the U.S.  military budget.

Some of the above statistics come  from organizations such as the  Center for Defence Information,  and the Center for Arms Control  and Non-Proliferation. This second  one, for example has a section on  Highlights for fiscal year 2005  budget request. It includes a tabulation of top 48 countries in terms of  their spending.

U.S. Military Spending vs. the  World (Top 25): ($ Billions)

Notes:

· Figures are for latest year available,  usually 2003. Expenditures are used in a  few cases where official budgets are  significantly lower than actual spending.  The figure for the United States is from  the annual budget request for Fiscal  Year 2005.

· * 2002 Funding.

Source: World Military Spending, Center  for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, February 2004

Index