solare The Military Complex And War
Indian ArmyPhoto: Getty ImagesIndian ArmyPhoto: Getty Images What came first: weapons or war? The question has many answers as there are military experts and peace activistssolare, often opposed to each other.
A wartime president who is known for planning and supervising two critical campaigns in World War II, US President D D Eisenhower warned 60 years ago, on his retirement day, that the military-industrial complex as one of the world’s greatest threats.
777 casino gamesCalling it an immense military establishment and a large arms industry that has emerged as a hidden force in politics, Eisenhower warned Americans that they “must not fail to comprehend its grave implications”. It was a prophetic speech, and 60 years later, with the world witnessing 56 armed conflicts as of June, 2024, the message extends to every nation, and not just to America. While unending wars are a cause of perpetual losses for families, they are also an unending source of profit for a large complex of businesses and government-backed interests.
The Hidden Cost Of War In YemenThe youngster displayed goalkeeping masterclass in the shoot-out, saving all four of Pakistan’s attempts after the match was drawn 1-1 in regulation time.
Defence TanksPhoto: Getty ImagesDefence TanksPhoto: Getty ImagesAs of 2023, global military expenditure was at 2.443 trillion USD, the highest level ever recorded―having increased by 6.8 per cent since 2022. Last year, 2024, will mark the 11th year in a row that global military spending increased, with the US, China, and Russia being the largest contributors.
In 2023 alone, the US set a defense budget of a stunning 886 billion dollars—which is more than twice of what was spent during WWII even after adjusting for inflation. In 2020, Lockheed Martin―the global security, defense and aerospace contractor―received 75 billion dollars in Pentagon contracts, which is equal to the combined budgets of the State Department and the Agency for International Development.
India is rapidly emerging as a player in what has proven over the years to be one of the world’s most profitable industries. Driven by its ”Make in India“ and ”Aatmanirbhar Bharat“ initiatives, Indian’s defense exports reached Rs 6,915 crore in the first quarter of FY 2024–25, marking a 78 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2023/24. The nation is now among the top 25 arms-exporting countries, supplying to over 85 nations. A Nomura report on the sector noted that, over the past 10 years, India's defence spending increased by 10 per cent compared to the global average of three per cent.
The Unwomanly Face Of WarIndia’s key products like BrahMos missiles, Pinaka rocket systems and Advanced Light Helicopters are increasingly part of our defense exports, and are supported by reforms such as the Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020, which aims to make defense manufacturing into a 25 billion USD industry by 2025, including 5 billion USD from exports.
All this has meant big money for all involved, including stockholders―civilians. According to stock market tracker Simply Wall Street, the Indian aerospace and defence industry has given a return of 177 per cent in the past year. Investors holding onto this sector have seen returns of about 760 per cent over the past three years. Revenues have also grown by around 54 per cent. In comparison, the world’s largest weapons industry, USA, has only seen a 54 per cent rise in the market capitalisation of the MIC (military-industry complex), while revenues have grown by 34 per cent.
According to experts in the Indian defense sector, the country’s expansion into weapons manufacturing is a necessity. “Once you don't have your own defense industry, then when you need something, your foreign policy is held hostage to external requirements,” explains Major General Dhruv C. Katoch, director of the India Foundation. Speaking from the experience of a four decade long career in the military, Katoch says, “It may sound cynical, but if you want peace, then you have to be prepared for war, and not just be prepared for war, you must be able to win that war. Once you've got that level of preparation, with that strength, you can live in peace.”
Gender and War | Professor Rashmi Varma ExplainsFighter JetPhoto: Getty ImagesFighter JetPhoto: Getty ImagesEven the European Union (EU)―where individual countries have held their own in the global MIC―is seeing a rush to arms, says Diederik Cops, who is a researcher with the Flemish Peace Institute.
“In the EU, defense spending has risen in reaction to specific geopolitical events like in 2014 (Russia’s occupation of Crimea), 2016 (Trump and his questioning of NATO’s role in EU’s defense) and the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well,” Cops points out. He adds that Asia, particularly India, has different reasons such as strong tensions between countries within that region like China and Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea. “So with the change in the geopolitical context, uncertainty and insecurity, or a perceived sense of insecurity, there is a traditional phenomenon of people turning to weaponry and arms to get themselves a sense of safety,” he says.
“It is always difficult to say what is causing what, but I think, in general, it's mainly arms and military spending that is often a symptom of these increasing geopolitical tensions,” he explains.
But Linda Akerström, Head of Advocacy and Policy at the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, which has been focusing the global ramifications of Swedish arms trade policy since 1883, disagrees. The arms industry finds loopholes to supply even where it shouldn’t, she says.
War And Peace: A Fractured World In ImagesMilitary HelicopterPhoto: Getty ImagesMilitary HelicopterPhoto: Getty ImagesSweden, on paper, has the one of the strictest arms trade policies. The government or private companies must get end-user certificates on all weapons sold, and no sale can be made if the seller suspects the weapons will be used in a country that is anti-democracy. This includes all countries marked Not Free and Partially Free by the Freedom House Index. This includes India, which was downgraded to Partially Free in 2021. However, the law also permits Sweden to continue exports if there is a previous pending contract, or enter into new albeit sequel contracts. And India and Sweden have a long history of defense and security agreements. In March 2021, the two countries held a virtual summit that highlighted the potential for increased collaboration.
“One always needs to compare the ideal in the regulation with the actual outcome. Swedish arms trade laws might look good on paper, but we have loopholes. We shouldn't export to active war zones ‘but we can if we want to; we shouldn't export to countries with grave human rights records but we can if we want to’. And obviously we want to, so we do,” she says.
Myanmar is another country that Sweden must, on paper, not export to. However, the rights watchdog, Justice For Myanmar (JFM), has found that the Indian firm, Sandeep Metal Craft Private Ltd, supplied Myanmar's military with FFV-447 projectile fuses designed for use with Swedish 84 mm Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles. This would not be the first time such an incident has happened.
Akerström’s agency has been looking into this, and she says the results have been “frustrating.”
“With the (FFV-447 projectile) fuses, we have found a lot of evidence that they are sold in various ways through contacts with groups with Myanmar. From the Swedish authorities, I've not heard anything to say that it is not true, but only heard that they cannot find the source of it, or they don't know how it's getting there.”
Endless Wars And A Fading Vision Of Lasting PeaceAkerström notes that “generally the arms trade is a business very susceptible to bribery and corruption. For example, all Saab business deals involving fighter jets have been investigated for corruption and there's only one case where they haven't been investigated. And we know that in the deal with South Africa, their British companion was found guilty and had to pay a fine. We know corruption is a big risk.”
Matthew Bolton, a professor of political science and co-director of the International Disarmament Institute at Pace University, New York, says, “While there are political reasons for armed conflicts beyond the economic incentives of arms companies, they are rarely voices calling for reductions in violence or violent rhetoric. They also advocate for higher levels of military spending that diverts public funds from uses that support peace and social wellbeing, including health, education, social services, disaster risk resiliency and environmental protection. There is a failure in imagination and courage in our global and national political leadership—we need serious and earnest effort to build a more just and peaceful world.”
Bolton is only echoing Eisenhower’s less famous speech on the MIC where he noted: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sensesolare, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its labourers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.”