According to an analysis of Ministry of Defence (MoD) statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the UK has spent $376.2m on weaponry and almost $2.1bn to operate the RAF's fleet of Reaper drones and Tornado and Typhoon jets in the region. Campaigners have seized on the fact that the new figures reveal the UK … Continue reading The UK has spent more on smart weapons than it has spent on humanitarian aid in Iraq
Airbus criticized Germany for not spending more on defense and their tougher stance on arm sales
A coalition deal between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), which must still be ratified by the SPD, has pledged an immediate ban on arms sales to countries involved in the war in Yemen and a tougher approach to arms sales in general. "If additional restrictions are imposed, we would have … Continue reading Airbus criticized Germany for not spending more on defense and their tougher stance on arm sales
11% increase in Pentagon’s budget
For starters, it’s about an $80 billion increase in the Pentagon’s budget from 2017 to 2019. In real terms, that’s about 11 percent — a larger two-year increase than the DoD received during the height of the Reagan military buildup in the mid-1980s. To put this massive increase in perspective, here are a few other … Continue reading 11% increase in Pentagon’s budget
France proposes big military spending increase
France unveiled Thursday a draft of its 2019-2025 military budget plan, setting €295 billion (U.S. $361 billion) on spending, which included better barracks, larger orders of Army armored vehicles, and studies on next-generation nuclear submarines and airborne nuclear missiles. That spending plan compares to €190 billion in the present 2014-2018 budget law. The Armed Forces … Continue reading France proposes big military spending increase
The human tragedies of ‘precision’ bombings
by Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal, the New York Times A key part of the coalition’s investigation process is to match civilian casualty accusations against its own logs. Chris Umphres, an Air Force captain at Udeid who assesses allegations of civilian casualties, told us that military investigators possess the coordinates of “every single strike conducted … Continue reading The human tragedies of ‘precision’ bombings
Transform defence for sustainable human safety 