World military spendy up 2% 2001

Military spending rose worldwide for the third consecutive year in 2001, with Russia overtaking the US for the first time as the main
international arms exporter, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said.
Military expenditure climbed by 2 pct in 2001 to 839 bln USD, or 2.6 pct of gross domestic product worldwide and 137 USD per person, SIPRI said.
Spending has risen by 7 pct in three years, after the decade 1987-98 during which it consecutively fell.
The institute noted however that its figures would likely have to be revised upwards “considerably” when supplementary expenditures resulting from the Sept 11 attacks on the United States and the ensuing war on terrorism had been fully taken into account.
SIPRI also noted that Russia overtook the US as the world’s leading arms exporter for the first time in 2001, with exports of 4.97 bln USD, but that the US remains the largest exporter in the past five-year period. During the five-year period, the US exported arms worth 44.82 bln USD, including 4.56 bln in 2001. Since 1998, US arms exports dropped by 65 pct.
At the same time, Russia increased its exports six-fold, but remained far behind the US at 17.35 bln USD for the five-year period