By Dr. Robert Farley
A recent Defense News special report highlighted global trends in defense spending. The conclusions are unsurprising; The locus of global military spending (and global military power) is shifting towards Asia, especially as some European countries ramp down defense expenditures. The “Asian Pivot” by the United States threatens to exacerbate this trend, although the United States already devotes a great percentage of its military strength to the Pacific.
The bulk of new spending comes in the form of investment in air and naval capabilities, revealing an international focus. Spending on armies can go to either international influence or to domestic security; ships, planes, and the support capabilities necessary to keep them sailing and flying tend to have foreign objectives.
Read the full story at The Diplomat