SIPRI’s annual report, released Monday, said global military expenditure reached $2.72 trillion in 2024, a 9.4% increase from 2023 and the largest year-on-year rise since the Cold War's end. This marks the tenth straight year of growth.
Defense spending is rising across East Asia as China’s expanding military power fuels regional concerns, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The world’s five biggest military spenders, the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India made up 60% of total spending, combining for $1.64 trillion.
Spending in Asia and Oceania reached $629 billion in 2024, up 6.3% from 2023, with East Asia alone seeing a 7.8% jump to $433 billion.
China accounted for half of Asia’s total defense spending, with an estimated $314 billion, a 7% increase from 2023, and its largest annual rise since 2015. This marks the 30th consecutive year of growth, as China pushes to modernize its military across all domains by 2035.
China’s buildup has led neighboring countries to bolster their own defenses. Japan raised its defense budget by 21% to $55.3 billion, its biggest increase since 1952, lifting defense spending to 1.4% of GDP, the highest since 1958. Japan’s plan focuses on enhancing long-range strike and air defense capabilities through 2027.
Meanwhile, Taiwan boosted its military spending by 1.8% to $16.5 billion, allocating a significant portion to upgrade F-16 jets, purchase U.S. naval systems, and develop anti-drone technologies amid heightened tensions with China.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the stri...
AnewZ travelled across northeastern Syria, where the scars of more than a decade of war remain visible but many believe the country has entered a new ...
Georgian Post is no longer focused solely on delivering letters and parcels across Georgia. The state postal operator is transforming into a regional ...
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a missile that crashed in eastern Poland overnight was most likely Russian, after the incident prompted the country to scramble fighter jets and place its air defences on high alert.
Tehran and Moscow have discussed a deadly Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in Russia’s territorial waters in the Caspian Sea, while also reviewing broader cooperation in the region.
The European Union has released €3.47 billion ($4 billion) to Ukraine to help finance the purchase of drones, missiles, air defence systems and Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, the European Commission has announced.
Iran is expected to receive its first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers within weeks, according to three sources familiar with the agreement, in an exclusive interview with Reuters.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment