Arms trade report

In news : According to a report by SIPRI, India’s arms imports came down by a third between 2011-2015 and 2016-2020.

About the report

Report released by: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an international organisation that tracks arms trade

Key findings of the report

• • As per SIPRI’s report, India remains the second highest importer, only behind Saudi Arabia.

• Top five exporters: The top five global arms exporters were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China in 2016-2020.

• The report also stated that arms imports by India decreased by 33 per cent between 2011–15 and 2016–20. Russia was the most affected supplier, although India’s imports of US arms also fell, by 46 per cent
• Reasons for decline India’s arms imports: SIPRI’s report attributed the fall not to the government’s push to make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing, but to factors including reducing the dependence on Russian arms, and the complex procurement procedure.
• It also highlights that Indian government, last year had announced a negative imports list of 101 defence equipment and platforms and this year it promoted the  domestically produced weapons and platforms with over 60 per cent of the capital expenditure, Rs 70,221 
• It further highlighted that international transfers of major arms stayed at the same level between 2011–15 and 2016–20” as the “substantial increases in transfers by three of the top five arms exporters the USA, France and Germany were largely offset by declining Russian and Chinese arms exports

• Substantial increases in transfers by three of the top five arms exporters the USA, France and Germany were largely offset by declining Russian and Chinese arms exports.
• Increase in import by middle east: As per SIPRI’s report, middle eastern arms imports grew by 25 per cent during this period, and was driven by Saudi Arabia, with a 61 percent increase, and Egypt and Qatar, which saw a jump of 136 per cent and 361 per cent, respectively.
• Fall in exports: Exports of Russia and China fell in the international arms transfers. It says that Arms exports by Russia, which accounted for 20 per cent of all exports of major arms in 2016–20, dropped by 22 per cent
• However, Russia substantially increased its arms transfers to China, Algeria and Egypt between 2011–15 and 2016–20, but this did not offset the large drop in its arms exports to India.