Die weltweiten #Militärausgaben lagen mit 2,44 Billionen US-Dollar so hoch wie noch nie. Sie sind binnen einen Jahres um 6,8 Prozent gestiegen – auch eine solche Steigerung hat #SIPRI seit 15 Jahren nicht mehr gesehen.
#MIC / The 2023 financial reports revealed a record-breaking year for Israel's state-owned aerospace and defense giants like Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit Systems, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Their success was fueled by surging global demand for military equipment amid the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
IAI announced its highest-ever annual sales of $5.3 billion, a 7% increase from 2022, with net profits soaring 49% to $318 million. Its order backlog swelled to $18 billion thanks to the conflicts.
According to the Swedish #SIPRI institute's report on the world's 100 largest arms companies, #Elbit ranked 24th, #IAI 35th, and #Rafael 42nd in 2022 sales - not yet reflecting the full impact of the Gaza war revenues.
The report highlights how the aerospace giants, including former Labor party leader Amir Peretz who chairs IAI with a $125,000 monthly salary, have profited immensely from the surge in global arms trading driven by the region's wars.
Israel's well-established defense exporters capitalized on heightened military spending, solidifying their positions among the world's largest weapons manufacturers dominated by U.S. corporations like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
Warfare in a Fragile World:
Military Impact on the Human Environment
This book, first published in 1980, examines the extent to which warfare and other military activities contribute to environmental degradation. The military capability to damage the environment has escalated. The military use and abuse of each of the several major global habitats – temperate, tropical, desert, arctic, insular and oceanic – are evaluated.
"Deliberately grounded on a tiny reef in the #SouthChinaSea, part of an island chain claimed by the two Asian countries, the #BRPSierraMadre is now the unlikely base for a detachment of Filipino marines who stand guard over the atoll, scanning the turquoise waters for Chinese ships." #AyunginShoal#SecondThomasShoal#Philippines
#Beijing, based on the report, budgeted over $296 billion for its military in 2023, a 6% increase from its spending the year prior. The figure represents 12% of the world’s military expenditures and over 50% of the #Asia and #Oceania region.The figures are estimates of #SIPRI, as #China’s publicly declared military budget is much lower. #TootSEA#Philippines