[sustran] No money for good PT or walk/bike infastructure?: India 'world's biggest arms buyer'

[Todd Edelman]

No money for good PT or walk/bike infastructure?: India 'world's biggest 
arms buyer'

(I do not consider this to be off-topic. Some Indian communists thank me 
off list when I point out things like this :-) )

Report says New Delhi is pushing to modernise its military in a bid to 
counter China and gain international clout.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/03/201131464110211223.html
Last Modified: 14 Mar 2011 08:03 GMT

India is expected to spend an estimated $80bn over the next 10 years to 
modernise its military [EPA]

India has overtaken China to become the world's largest importer of 
weapons, according to a Swedish think-tank that monitors global arms sales.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report said India 
was pushing ahead with plans to modernise its military in an effort to 
counter China's influence and gain international clout.

India's defence budget for the coming year is 1.5 trillion rupees 
($32.5bn), a 40 per cent increase from two years ago. It imports more 
than 70 per cent of its weapons.

The report said the vast majority of those imports – 82 per cent – come 
from Russia, which has long been India's supplier of choice.

Its investment comes amid rising concerns about China's regional power 
and its designs over vital Indian Ocean shipping lanes, which New Delhi 
sees as part of its sphere of influence.

The government is reportedly spending billions of dollars on fighter 
jets and aircraft carriers to modernise its air force and navy.

Siemon Wezeman, a senior fellow at the institute, said on Monday China 
dropped to second place with six per cent of global imports as it 
continued to build up its domestic arms industry, something India has so 
far failed to do.

"Just from what they have already ordered, we know that in the coming 
few years India will be the top importer," he added.

Weapons club

On the dealers' side, the United States remains the largest arms 
exporter, followed by Russia and Germany, according to the report.

The Swedish institute measures arms transactions over a five-year period 
to take into account the long time lag between orders and delivery of arms.

There are lingering tensions over unresolved border issues between India 
and China, which led to war in 1962.

India also remains in its traditional faceoff with neighbouring 
Pakistan, with which it has fought three wars.

"India has ambitions to become first a continental and [then] a regional 
power," Rahul Bedi, a South Asia analyst with London-based Jane's 
Defence Weekly, told The Associated Press. "To become a big boy, you 
need to project your power."

India is expected to spend $80bn over the next decade to upgrade its 
military.

Besides Russia, other countries pushing for a chunk of the lucrative 
market include Britain, the United States and France who have finalised 
deals worth billions of dollars for trainer and fighter jets, transport 
aircraft, an aircraft carrier and submarines.

"The kind of purchases that India is buying, no country in the world 
buys," added Bedi of Jane's Defence Weekly. "What is in the pipeline is 
huge."


Source:
Agencies

-- 

Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory,
a member of the OPENbike team

Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081

edelman at greenidea.eu
www.greenidea.eu
todd at openbike.se
www.openbike.se

Skype: toddedelman

Urbanstr. 45
10967 Berlin
Germany

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