India 5th largest military spender; expenditure 9 times more than Pakistan

But it also has to contend with China, another nuclear-armed neighbour which spends almost four times more.With the global military expenditure registering the steepest year-on-year increase since the end of the Cold War to reach a record $2,718 billion due to ongoing conflicts and geopolitical turmoil, India is ranked after the US, China, Russia and Germany.The global military expenditure increased by 9.4% in real terms in 2024, with the top five spenders accounting for 60% of the total with a combined spending of $1,635 billion, as per the latest data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday.The report comes at a time when the ceasefire along the Line of Control with Pakistan has frayed after the Pahalgam terror massacre, while China continues with its forward deployment of over 100,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control though disengagement has taken place in eastern Ladakh. The rest is gobbled up by salaries and day-to-day operational costs for the 1.4-million-strong armed forces as well as the huge pension bill for over 3.4 million ex-servicemen and defence civilians.India spends just 1.9% of its GDP on defence when at least 2.5% is needed to effectively deal with the collusive threat from China and Pakistan. Apart from the relatively weak defence-industrial base, which makes India the second largest arms importer in the world, another major problem is the relative absence of concrete long-term plans to systematically build military capabilities in tune with the country's geopolitical aspirations.Consequently, the armed forces continue to grapple with major operational shortages on several fronts, ranging from fighters, submarines and helicopters to air defence systems, anti-tank guided missiles and night-fighting capabilities.Also read: 'This time no compromise, Pakistan will be brought to its knees': Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri China is rapidly modernizing its two-million-strong military across the traditional domains of land, air and sea as well as nuclear, space and cyber, recording its 30th consecutive year-on-year hike in its official military budget, which experts say is far less than what it actually spends.

Author: Rajat Pandit

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