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India was the fourth largest military spender globally in 2023 with an expenditure of USD 83.6 billion, behind the US, China and Russia, according to a report by an independent international think-tank. The report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shared on its website in April also said the "rise" in global military spending last year can be attributed "primarily to the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East". The military expenditure went up in all five geographical regions, with major spending increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, it said. The report comes amid ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world such as the ones involving Israel-Hamas, Iran-Israel, Russian-Ukraine besides volatility in the Red Sea region. "World military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of USD 2443 billion. The 6.8 per cent increase in 2023 was the steepest year-on-year rise since 2009 and pushed global spending to the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded," according to the report. The <keyword id="21404979" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-military-burden" source="keywords">world military burden</keyword> -- defined as military spending as a percentage of global gross domestic product (GDP) -- increased to 2.3 per cent in 2023. Average military expenditure as a share of government expenditure rose by 0.4 percentage points to 6.9 per cent in 2023 and world military spending per person was the highest since 1990 at USD 306, it added. With military expenditure of USD 83.6 billion in 2023, India was the "fourth largest spender globally". Indian spending was up by 4.2 per cent from 2022 and by 44 per cent from 2014. The increase in India's military spending was "mainly a result of growing personnel and operations costs" which made up almost 80 per cent of the total military budget in 2023, the <keyword id="20911352" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SIPRI-report" source="keywords">SIPRI report</keyword> claimed. "This aligns with the government's priority to strengthen the operational readiness of the armed forces amid ongoing tensions with China and Pakistan. In comparison, capital outlays to fund military procurement remained relatively stable at around 22 per cent of the budget in 2023," it said. A total of 75 per cent of these outlays went towards equipments produced domestically, which was the highest level ever and up from 68 per cent in the previous year. The continued shift towards domestic procurement reflects India's goal of becoming self-reliant in arms development and production, the think-tank said in its repot fact sheet shared on its website. The Indian Army has maintained that deployment of its troops and other elements along the LAC is "extremely robust" and "balanced". The eastern <keyword id="21271073" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ladakh-border-standoff" source="keywords">Ladakh border standoff</keyword> erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area. The ties between India and China nose-dived significantly following the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, it provides data, analysis and recommendations based on open sources to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. The Stockholm-based think-tank monitors developments in military expenditure worldwide and maintains the most comprehensive, consistent and extensive publicly available data source on military expenditure, according to its online portal. The US military spending was USD 916 billion in 2023, which was 2.3 per cent more than in 2022 and 9.9 per cent more than in 2014, the report said. The US remained by far the largest spender in the world, allocating 3.1 times more to the military than the second largest spender China. "The biggest percentage increase among all US military spending categories in 2023 was for 'research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&amp;E)". The Stockholm-based think-tank also said in its report that Ukraine was the "eighth largest spender" in 2023 after a spending surge of 51 per cent to reach USD 64.8 billion. This gave Ukraine "a military burden of 37 per cent and represented 58 per cent of total government spending". "Ukraine's military spending in 2023 was 59 per cent the size of Russia's. However, Ukraine also received at least USD 35 billion in military aid during the year, including USD 25.4 billion from the US. Combined, this aid and Ukraine's own military spending were equivalent to about 91 per cent of Russian spending," the report claimed. According to the report, Russia's military spending increased by 24 per cent to an estimated USD 109 billion in 2023. "China, the world's second largest military spender, allocated an estimated USD 296 billion to the military in 2023, an increase of 6 per cent from 2022. This was the 29th consecutive year-on-year rise in China's military expenditure. China accounted for half of total military spending across the Asia and Oceania region. Several of China's neighbours have linked their own spending increases to China's rising military expenditure," the Stockholm-based think-tank claimed in its report. In 2023, the 31 <keyword id="20763732" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NATO-members" source="keywords">NATO members</keyword> accounted for USD 1,341 billion, equal to 55 per cent of the world's military expenditure, the report said. 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India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s <keyword id="6359526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="military" source="Orion">military</keyword> spending of $76.6 billion ranked third highest in the world followed by the US and <keyword id="1334" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword>, stated Sweden based think-tank -- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) -- in its report published on Monday. The report stated that India's military spending was up by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012. In a push to strengthen the indigenous arms industry, 64 per cent of capital outlays in the military budget of 2021 were earmarked for acquisitions of domestically produced arms. India is facing the threat of a two-front war -- from China and Pakistan. Since 2020, India has been engaged in border dispute at Line of Actual Control with China. The report also stated total global military expenditure has increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2,113 billion. It stated that the five largest spenders in 2021 were the US, China, India, the UK and Russia, together accounting for 62 per cent of expenditure, according to new data on global military spending. World military spending continued to grow in 2021, reaching an all-time high of $2.1 trillion. This was the seventh consecutive year that spending increased. "Even amid the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, world military spending hit record levels," said <keyword id="13702792" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="diego-lopes-da-silva" source="Orion">Diego Lopes da Silva</keyword>, Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. "There was a slowdown in the rate of real-terms growth due to inflation. In nominal terms, however, military spending grew by 6.1 per cent." As a result of a sharp economic recovery in 2021, the global military burden -- world military expenditure as a share of world gross domestic product (GDP), fell by 0.1 percentage points, from 2.3 per cent in 2020 to 2.2 per cent in 2021. Meanwhile, the US military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4 per cent from 2020. The US military burden decreased slightly from 3.7 per cent of GDP in 2020 to 3.5 per cent in 2021. "US funding for military research and development (R&amp;D) rose by 24 per cent between 2012 and 2021, while arms procurement funding fell by 6.4 per cent over the same period. In 2021 spending on both decreased. However, the drop in R&amp;D spending (-1.2 per cent) was smaller than that in arms procurement spending (-5.4 per cent)," the report stated. "The increase in R&amp;D spending over the decade 2012-21 suggests that the United States is focusing more on next-generation technologies," said <keyword id="12676475" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="alexandra-marksteiner" source="Orion">Alexandra Marksteiner</keyword>, Researcher with SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. The US government has repeatedly stressed the need to preserve the US military's technological edge over strategic competitors. Russia increased its military expenditure by 2.9 per cent in 2021, to $65.9 billion, at a time when it was building up its forces along the Ukrainian border. This was the third consecutive year of growth and Russia's military spending reached 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2021. As it has strengthened its defences against Russia, Ukraine's military spending has risen by 72 per cent since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Spending fell in 2021, to $5.9 billion, but still accounted for 3.2 per cent of the country's GDP. China, the world's second largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7 per cent compared with 2020. China's military spending has grown for 27 consecutive years. The 2021 Chinese budget was the first under the 14th Five-Year Plan, which runs until 2025. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-10-most-expensive-shares-in-india/slidelist/91073430.cms">MRF, Page Industries, Nestle among top 10 stocks that are extremely expensive to buy</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/hyundai-motors-profit-up-17-aims-to-sell-4-32-million-vehicles-this-year/articleshow/91073745.cms">Hyundai Motor's profit up 17%, aims to sell 4.32 million vehicles this year</a>

India's military spending 3rd highest in the world, says report

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">China Daily/via REUTERSParamilitary policemen take part in a summer training in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, June 27, 2016.</div></div></div>Global military spending reached $1.739 trillion in 2017, up 1.1% from 2016, <a href="https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2018/global-military-spending-remains-high-17-trillion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a report released on Wednesday from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute."Continuing high world military expenditure is a cause for serious concern," Ambassador Jan Eliasson, chair of the SIPRI governing board, said in the report. "It undermines the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts around the world."China's military spending increased again in 2017, up 5.6% from 2016, SIPRI reported, as did India's, up 5.5% from 2016. Russia's military spending decreased for the first time since 1998, down 20% from 2016, SIPRI reported. "The increases in world military expenditure in recent years have been largely due to the substantial growth in spending by countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, such as China, India and Saudi Arabia," Nan Tian, a SIPRI researcher, said in the report. "At the global level, the weight of military spending is clearly shifting away from the Euro-Atlantic region." Although the US' budget remained unchanged, it "spent more on its military than the next seven highest-spending countries combined," SIPRI reported. Here are the 15 countries that spent the most on their militaries in 2017:

The 15 countries with the highest military budgets in 2017

If you think the world learnt its lesson post World War II and vowed not to exercise military prowess, you should read this. Nervousness has grown by leaps and bounds and all nations have been building up their militaries. So much so that as per a IHS Jane's latest annual Defense Budgets report, the next decade will see an increase in global defense spending amid rising feuds and pockets of instability. 
 According to Craig Caffrey, principal analyst at the London-based defense and security analysis firm, <keyword id="3955669" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="global-defense-expenditures">global defense expenditures</keyword> rose to $1.57 trillion this year from $1.55 trillion in 2015 as Asian nations act on growing nervousness around the South China Sea. 
 
Fenella McGerty, an analyst at IHS Jane's, expects spending levels to return to pre-2008-2009 financial crisis levels by 2018. The breakdown region wise is: 
 
<keyword id="21718" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Asia">Asia</keyword>, especially <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> China’s defense budget was $123 billion in 2010 and has nearly doubled since then. According to the report, it is expected to reach $233 billion in 2020 and it is four times what the U.K. spends and more than the combined expenditure of Western <keyword id="28249" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="europe">Europe</keyword>. 
 
India has overtaken Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the fourth-largest spender in the world. If the pound continues to weaken, India will spend more on defense than the U.K. by 2018, according to IHS Jane's. 
 
Europe 
According to the report, European Union members boosted their combined budget to $219 billion in 2016, with Western Europe leading the charge. The only thing that has been holding them back are the economic constraints in the south and the problems related to Brexit. 
 
Russia, on the other hand, has been cutting budget since the late 1990s to $48 billion this year. “Despite a hit from the dramatic drop in oil prices, the Middle East as a whole is not expected to dramatically reduce expenditures considering regional instability,” Caffreytold Bloomberg 
 
<keyword id="20819" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="America">America</keyword> 
US is still at the top, at $622 billion in 2016, with its budget accounting for about 40 percent of the global total, said the report. 
 
The Pentagon's "investment levels going forward were to decrease by 1.1 percent in real terms, but with the election of Trump, the expectation is that both investment and readiness will receive injections of much needed funds," said Guy Eastman, a senior analyst.

This is how much India spends on its military and it is more than Russia

Since the end of the Cold War, the US has been the world's unquestioned dominant military power.Although <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> spending has been shrinking since its high in 2010, the US' budget in 2014 still <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-spending-chart-2014-4">surpassed</a> the combined expenditures of China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UK, Franch, Germany, Japan, India, and South Korea.The military budget of China, the world's second-largest military spender, was still only 22% of the US's in 2014.This enormous budget allows the US to field the most cutting-edge hardware while investing in future technologies. The following graphic from the <a href="http://online.utep.edu/resources/webinars-and-infographics/current-future-defense-capabilities-of-the-u-s/">University of Texas at El Paso Connect</a> highlights some of the US's defense capabilities - and the massive price tag that comes along with them.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://online.utep.edu/resources/webinars-and-infographics/current-future-defense-capabilities-of-the-u-s/">UTEP Connect/The University Of Texas At El Paso</a></div></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-spending-billions-2015-7">How the US military spends its billions</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9kdmNndjo8M7QNeyl5Jgy5yfYCzEf-HI" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

This chart shows the US's astonishing defense capabilities - along with their massive price tag

The US is the world's undisputed leader in terms of military strength.That is according to a ranking published in a Credit Suisse report on globalization.Russia ranks second, narrowly ahead of China. Japan and India round out the top five. Canada ranks 20.The report said: "Our analysis reveals the military superiority of the United States in conventional war capabilities compared to its close rivals. Its fleet of 13,900 aircraft, 920 attack helicopters, 20 aircraft carriers and 72 submarines far outweighs the military might of any of its close rivals and so does its <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> spending worth USD 610 bn in 2014, which is far more than the combined military expenditures of the next nine countries in our index."In reality, in today's nuclear era, conventional forces are not the only indicator of military strength. Russia and the United States account for more than 90% of global inventories of nuclear weapons according to data provided by Stockholm <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword> Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) Yearbook 2015."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Credit SuisseMilitary Strength Indicator</div></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-extravagant-vacations-in-world-2015-9">The most expensive and extravagant vacations in the world</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tvMzRndzpNrgBqxHb0FavvEnwVT1v50q" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

RANKED: The strongest militaries in the world

<ul><li>Currently, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> spends only 1.2% of its GDP on <keyword id="6354525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare">healthcare</keyword>. </li><li>the government has passed the National <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword> Policy (NHP) to increase the public healthcare spending to 2.5% of the GDP with a special focus on the underprivileged. </li><li>Once launched <keyword id="344159" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MODICARE">Modicare</keyword> will be world's largest government-run insurance scheme of its kind. </li></ul>India spends only 1.2% of its GDP on healthcare. And with that figure, the country ranks in lower than Singapore that has one of the lowest public health expenditures in the world at 2.2% amongst countries with significant United Health Care (UHC) services. If that 1.2% was not a figure dismal enough, India spends<a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS"> 2.5%</a> of its GDP for military purposes. It is time the country resets its priorities. With<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/healthcare-costs-drove-55-million-indians-below-poverty-line-in-the-last-two-decades/articleshow/64573439.cms"> 55 million Indians</a> falling below the poverty line in a single year because of heavy medical expenses and no help from the government, the poor also have very little to choose from when it comes to public and private healthcare. While public healthcare maybe the best that they can afford, the standards of public hospitals are deplorable, and private facilities are far too expensive. India's per capita public expenditure on health was as low as ₹621 in 2009-10. Though it increased to ₹1,112 ($16) in 2015-16, it seems almost absurd when compared to countries like the US and the UK with expenditures of $4,802 and $3,500 respectively. But perhaps, things can change now. To make the situation better, the government has finally passed the National Health Policy (NHP) which commits to spending 2.5% of the GDP on healthcare with a special focus on the underprivileged. Dr Ravi Wankhedkar told <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/govt-spends-only-1-2-of-gdp-on-healthcare-in-india/articleshow/60963195.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">The Times of India</a> that the national president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) for 2018, the spending should have been raised to at least 5%. NHP will also extend its focus on shifting from “sick care” or cure to “wellness” or prevention. The policy further promises to venture into a new concept of “strategic purchasing” from the private sector to achieve the national health goals. It also has envisioned targets to reduce the Maternal Mortality Ratio, and Infant Mortality Rate significantly. The situation may improve even further with the <keyword id="3664127" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Health-Protection-Scheme">National Health Protection Scheme</keyword> (NHPS) that the government is planning to launch soon. The scheme plans to target over 100 million poor families with an annual health cover of ₹0.5 million per family. Often called Modicare, once it is launched, will be world's largest government-run insurance scheme of its kind. According to the health minister, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/JP-Nadda">JP Nadda</a>, the scheme will be able to significantly bring down the citizen’s ‘out of pocket’ expenditure on health, which pushes millions of Indians below the poverty line every year. India’s ‘out of pocket’ expenditure currently stands on 67.78% against the the world average of 18.2%, according to WHO. Though the schemes seem progressive, they have been strongly <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-cleared-the-long-awaited-national-health-policy-2017/article17487845.ece">criticised by activists</a> because it scrapped a section of the final draft which proposed to make health a fundamental right. They believe that the failure to provide healthcare should have serious legal consequences and without that provision, the policy remains a hollow promise.

India spends just 1.2% of its GDP on healthcare, but a policy can change that

<ul><li>The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’s Defence Minister, <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> approved a ₹46 billion contract for new military equipment.</li><li>In the accelerating <keyword id="6828657" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="asian-arms-race">Asian arms race</keyword>, India lags behind in both absolute and relative spending. </li><li>Two-thirds of India’s military bill goes toward paying the infantry, leaving little left over for purchasing new weaponry.</li></ul>India’s defence ministry has just <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=33">approved the acquisition</a> of new military equipment in a ₹46 billion ($6.5 billion) deal. Their current war chest is quickly becoming obsolete, and this new contract ties in with the Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s promise of spending ₹17 trillion ($250 billion) towards the modernisation of military technology. This tender is particularly significant because it’s the first time that the India government will be applying the technology from a foreign investor while building the equipment at home. 
 
 
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 India isn’t alone its efforts to build up its arms. The annual defence spending in Asia, on average, has doubled over the century to nearly ₹31.5 trillion ($450 billion). Asian arms race Many <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2135802/asian-arms-race-stoked-chinas-booming-defence-budget-analysts">believe</a> it was China that instigated the arms race when in 2010 their military spending alone accounted for 28% of the military spending across Asia. In 2014, that ratio increased even further to 38%. As per the <a href="https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2018-04/sipri_fs_1805_milex_2017.pdf">Stockholm International Peace Research Institute</a>, the United States led the world with an arms spending of ₹42.7 trillion ($610 billion) while China came in second with ₹16 trillion ($228 billion). India was in 5th place with ₹4.5 trillion ($63.9 billion) as their military expenditure. While India’s spending is a fraction of what other countries are bailing out, it’s still up from ₹3 trillion ($47 billion) in 2012. More than absolute numbers, the proportional increases in budgets are more telling. In Asia, specifically, the largest increases in military spending were seen in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and China. Aside from arms, China’s neighbouring nations are also more actively engaged in curating their strategic partnerships to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indo-japanese-relations-hedge-against-chinas-rise-with-their-first-ever-military-exercise/articleshow/65492296.cms">hedge against the risk</a> of the United States failing to contain the Chinese incursions into the South China Sea. Modernisation of India’s military India’s military spending as forever been at the hub of controversy since the <keyword id="474078" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="bofors-scandal">Bofors scandal</keyword> in the 1980s. More recently, the deal for the acquisition of 36 Rafale jets off-the-shelf from France instead of 126 fighter jets that would partially be made in India has been in the limelight. Most experts argue that 36 jets are nowhere near enough for India’s requirements. An <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/902e056c-7756-11e2-b95a-00144feabdc0">ad-hoc</a> approach to India’s military strategy would do more harm than good in the long-run. In fact, one of the major issues with India’s military spending has been that more than two-thirds of the budget is allocated towards the salaries of people employed in the armed forces and their respective pensions. While infantry is important, its leaves too little for India to spend on weapons or its own research and development. That being said, the impetus from foreign investments being introduced into the defense sector should catalyse faster growth. (Representative image)

Arms spending in Asia continues as India shells out another ₹46 billion

<ul><li>Four strategic studies are being carried out by the government to pinpoint ways to optimise the size of the <keyword id="6359526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="military">military</keyword> forces. </li><li>As part of the restructuring of the <keyword id="15350" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Army">army</keyword>, overlapping divisions will be cut down while a host of new positions will be created. </li><li>In August last year, the government approved the <keyword id="6473198" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="reform">reform</keyword> programme - which involves the redeployment of 57,000 officers, merger of garrisons and the shutdown of redundant military support units and farms. </li><li>Personnel costs are a significant drain on the army’s operating budget, accounting for 63% of costs while the modernisation of equipment accounts for only 14%.</li></ul>At the end of last month, the Indian government continued work on one of the largest reform programmes of its <keyword id="32723" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence">defence</keyword> forces in its history as a independent country. In fact, four separate assessments - which were given by a greenlight by <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=184039">the Army Commanders’ Conference</a> in the second week of October - are being carried out by the government to pinpoint ways to “right-size” its military, with reforms being implemented gradually over the next couple of years. The individual studies will each focus on separate issues — reducing the size and organisational structure of the Army Headquarters and optimising the number of junior commissioned officers and other ranks of officers. As part of the restructuring of the army, overlapping divisions will be cut down while a host of new positions will be created, according to <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/army-set-to-create-new-positions-as-part-of-overhaul/article25326814.ece">a Hindu report</a> citing sources. These include a new Deputy Chief of Army Staff, in addition to two existing deputy chiefs that handle planning and intelligence systems, and a new Director for Strategic Communications, which will report the third Deputy Chief. The goal is to increase the army’s teeth-to-tail ratio, which refers to the amount of combat-ready soldiers that can be supported by one military support officer. The government approved the reform exercise <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/57-000-army-personnel-to-be-redeployed-to-increase-tooth-to-tail-ratio-117083001383_1.html">in August last year. </a> At the time, it was reported that 57,000 junior officers would be redeployed to functions where their skill sets were better suited. In addition to this, the reform exercise involves the merger of military units and the closure of redundant logistics units like signal operators as well as the military farm service and postal departments. Military farms, which were established during colonial times, are tasked with supplying milk to military units across the country. Once all 39 military farms are shut, the land will be given back to the defence ministry, which will then re-allocate them to military units. The reform exercise is part of a larger plan to optimise defence <keyword id="31669" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="spending">spending</keyword> by redirecting it from personnel expenses to equipment procurement. This has been evident in the slew of big-ticket military deals closed this year so far. In May this year, it was reported that India had broken into the ranks of the world’s <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-01/china-tensions-push-india-into-world-s-top-five-defense-spenders">top five countries by military expenditure</a>, overtaking France. The country’s defence costs rose by nearly 6% to $63.9 billion in 2017 owing to higher salaries and pensions for army personnel and weapon imports. Personnel costs are a significant drain on the army’s operating budget, accounting for <a href="http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/16_Defence_42.pdf">63%</a> of costs while the modernisation of equipment accounts for only 14%. This is why the reorganisation and “right-sizing” of the military forces has become an urgent priority. Separately, in recognition of the high cost of importing weapons, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also encouraged the domestic production of military equipment under the “Make in India” programme. However, the foreign investment in the defence industry <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/03/28/india-spends-a-fortune-on-defence-and-gets-poor-value-for-money">has been meagre</a> in recent years.

India is 'right-sizing' its military as part of a plan to make defence spending more efficient

<ul><li>The union budget will be presented in the parliament on July 5, 2019. </li><li>The defence forces are hopeful of increased budget allocation as Smt <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> herself is the former defence minister. </li><li>India is the <keyword id="7821032" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fourth-largest-defence-spender">fourth largest defence spender</keyword> globally.</li></ul>The <keyword id="112134" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Armed-Forces">Indian armed forces</keyword> expect the Union Budget 2019, to be announced on July 5, to provide more money to modernise and upgrade the country’s defence establishment amidst ever-increasing global and internal challenges. Fuelling this hope is the fact that the newly-appointed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was in charge of the defence ministry in her last role and therefore, she would be well aware of the challenges and requirements of the forces. The defence budget has increased nearly doubled in the last five years, the first term of the Narendra Modi government. But the money was still not enough to upgrade the weapons because the lion’s share of the allocation for the ministry of defence (MoD) goes into paying salaries and pensions. 
 
 
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 The Indian army has the largest share in the defence budget, more than half. Second in the list comes that <keyword id="15141" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> followed by the navy, DRDO and ordnance factories. 
 
 
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 INDIA’S GLOBAL RANK In 2018, India became the fourth largest military spender in the world, with the United States of America, China and Saudi Arabia ahead in the list and France at the fifth spot. Global military expenditure also grew 2.6 % to $1.8 trillion in 2018 compared to a year earlier, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). India’s defence allocation grew 6.5% in the year ending March 2019. Geopolitical tensions are rising around the world- tensions between the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Simple-economics-show-how-Trump-is-beating-up-on-Iran-without-firing-a-shot/articleshow/69934762.cms">US and Iran</a>, simmering conflict in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/It-looks-like-the-US-has-been-quietly-lowering-the-threshold-for-conflict-in-the-South-China-Sea/articleshow/69832087.cms">the South China sea</a>, the constantly <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-the-iran-crisis-is-exposing-a-far-deeper-conflict-between-trump-and-europe-1.7427507">volatile middle east</a>, and last but not the least <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/if-india-and-pakistan-have-a-limited-nuclear-war-scientists-say-it-could-wreck-earths-climate-and-trigger-global-famine/articleshow/68207655.cms">India’s own conflict with Pakistan</a> and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Tensions-are-still-simmering-a-year-after-the-worlds-2-biggest-countries-almost-clashed-over-a-border-at-the-top-of-the-world/articleshow/65507895.cms">threats from China</a>, make the modernisation of India’s military necessary. 
 
 
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 Vintage weapons In 2018, the then Vice Chief of Army Lt Gen Sarath Chand said that 68% of the Army’s equipment is in the ‘<a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/report/sixty-eight-per-cent-of-armys-equipment-is-in-vintage-category/20180313.htm">vintage category</a>’, adding fund crunch will also impact the serviceability of the existing equipment and may even affect payment of instalments for past purchases. It had set up of the Special Forces Division, Defence Cyber Agency, the Defence Space Agency and the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA). It also came up with the concept of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-army-is-setting-up-integrated-battle-groups-along-the-pakistan-border-which-will-be-self-sufficient-to-fight-a-war/articleshow/69884097.cms">Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs)</a>. Insufficient allocation will hit its modernisation at a time when Chinese military is competing to reach the level of the US and Pakistan bolstering capability of its forces, the Army had told a <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/parliamentary-standing-committee-criticises-govt-for-inadequate-allocation-of-funds-to-army/articleshow/67427334.cms?from=mdr">parliamentary panel</a>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-army-is-setting-up-integrated-battle-groups-along-the-pakistan-border-which-will-be-self-sufficient-to-fight-a-war/articleshow/69884097.cms">Indian Army is setting up ‘Integrated battle groups’ along the Pakistan border which will be self-sufficient to fight a war</a>

India’s defence budget has nearly doubled in 5 years but the money is not enough to upgrade the weapons

Getting 1.3 billion people to live in harmony, not only with each other, but with the rest of the world is no mean feat. <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is no stranger to conflict - internal or external. Last summer, the country experienced a significant military standoff with its neighbour China for three months, over the latter’s construction of a road in Doklam, an area that is a disputed territory of Bhutan. Domestically, the tenuous political situation in the state of Kashmir showed no signs of letting up last year, while protests, riots and communal <keyword id="6355987" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Violence">violence</keyword> in other parts of the country also continued. In fact, <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/india-witnessed-822-communal-incidents-in-2017-says-centre-111-killed-2384-injured-in-violence-4338217.html">around 822 incidents</a> of communal violence reportedly took place in India last year, according to Hansraj Ahir, the Union Minister of State for Home. Huge economic cost This violence represents a significant cost to India’s <keyword id="47276" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Economic-growth">economic growth</keyword>. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, an international think tank, violence cost the country <a href="http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2018/06/Global-Peace-Index-2018-2.pdf">nearly $1.2 trillion</a> (₹80.1 trillion) in constant exchange rates, or 9% of its GDP in 2017. This equates to roughly ₹40,000 for every person in India. The report measures the cost of violence not only in terms of the direct expenditure on military conflict and security, but also the costs of mitigating and dealing with the consequences of violence. It also takes into account the economic multiplier effect, or the incremental economic activity, that was lost as a result of the violence. India did, however, move up one place to 136 on the <keyword id="167042" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-peace-index">Global Peace Index</keyword>, a ranking of 163 countries owing to lower military purchases and a slight improvement in violent crime statistics. At the bottom of the list was war-torn <keyword id="6354913" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="syria">Syria</keyword>, which lost a staggering of 68% of its GDP, or $42 billion, last year due to violence. Iceland took the top spot in the index, losing only $830 million due to violence. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region continued to be the world’s least peaceful geographic region, hosting 4 of the world’s 10 most violent countries. South Asia proved to be the world’s second least peaceful region, amid ongoing conflicts in Pakistan and Afghanistan - which lost 13% and 63% of their GDP, respectively, in 2017. The overall cost of violence in the world has risen 16% since 2012, when Syria’s civil war started, reaching $14.76 trillion last year. This is equivalent to 12.4% of the world’s GDP. Finally, the report showed how much it pays to be at peace. Since 1948, countries that rank high on the Global Peace Index have seen per capita GDP grow thrice as fast when compared to less peaceful ones.

India lost around 9% of its GDP last year due to violence: Report

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Adnan AbidiDespite the fact that India has moved up one place on the Global Peace Index since last year, violence is still costing its economy hefty sums.</div></div></div><ul><li>According to India's Union Minister of State for Home, 822 incidents of communal violence took place last year.</li><li>A report by the Institute for Economics and Peace shows violence cost India <a href="http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2018/06/Global-Peace-Index-2018-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">$1.2 trillion</a> in 2017.</li><li>This equates to roughly $600 per person in India. </li></ul> Getting 1.3 billion people to live in harmony, not only with each other, but with the rest of the world is no mean feat. India is no stranger to conflict - internal or external. Last summer, the country experienced a significant military standoff with its neighbour China for three months, over the latter's construction of a road in Doklam, an area that is a disputed territory of Bhutan. Domestically, the tenuous political situation in the state of Kashmir showed no signs of letting up last year, while protests, riots and communal violence in other parts of the country also continued. In fact, <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/india-witnessed-822-communal-incidents-in-2017-says-centre-111-killed-2384-injured-in-violence-4338217.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">around 822 incidents</a> of communal violence reportedly took place in India last year, according to Hansraj Ahir, the Union Minister of State for Home.<h2>Violence has come at a hefty price for India's economy</h2>This violence represents a significant cost to India's economic growth. According to international think tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace, violence cost the country <a href="http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2018/06/Global-Peace-Index-2018-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">nearly $1.2 trillion</a> (₹80.1 trillion) in constant exchange rates, or 9% of its GDP in 2017. This equates to roughly $600 per person in India.According to <a href="http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2017/04/The-Economic-Cost-of-Violence-Containment.pdf">a report</a> on the economic cost of violence containment, the yearly cost of violence containment is calculated by a variety of 13 different categories, including the cost of funding UN peacekeeping missions, the level of expenditure on the military and the cost of terrorism.India did, however, move up one place to 136 on the Global Peace Index, a ranking of 163 countries owing to lower military purchases and a slight improvement in violent crime statistics. At the bottom of the list was war-torn Syria, which lost a staggering of 68% of its GDP, or $42 billion, last year due to violence. Iceland took the top spot in the index, losing only $830 million due to violence. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region continued to be the world's least peaceful geographic region, hosting 4 of the world's 10 most violent countries. South Asia proved to be the world's second least peaceful region, amid ongoing conflicts in Pakistan and Afghanistan - which lost 13% and 63% of their GDP, respectively, in 2017. The overall cost of violence in the world has risen 16% since 2012, when Syria's civil war started, reaching $14.76 trillion last year. This is equivalent to 12.4% of the world's GDP. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/economist-weighted-voting-could-help-save-us-democracy-2018-5">This top economist has a radical plan to change the way Americans vote</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "india military expenditure" and got 12 results

India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report

PTI

India's military spending 3rd highest in the world, says report

IANS

The 15 countries with the highest military budgets in 2017

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India spends just 1.2% of its GDP on healthcare, but a policy can change that

BI India Bureau

Arms spending in Asia continues as India shells out another ₹46 billion

Prabhjote Gill

India is 'right-sizing' its military as part of a plan to make defence spending more efficient

Dilsher Dhillon

India’s defence budget has nearly doubled in 5 years but the money is not enough to upgrade the weapons

BI India Bureau

India lost around 9% of its GDP last year due to violence: Report

Dilsher Dhillon

Violence cost India's economy 9% of its GDP last year

Dilsher Dhillon

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