Category Archives: Military Spending

Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity

Military Spending,

Video: Peter Boyle/Green Left

A media conference in Sydney/Gadigal land on 24th April 2024 discussed alarming new figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which showed that world military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year to an all-time high of $2,443 billion. For the first time since 2009, military expenditure went up in all five of the geographical regions defined by SIPRI, with particularly large increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Middle East.  Continue reading Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity →

AUKUS and the encirclement of China

AUKUS Security Pact, Military Spending, US-China Relations, ,
Photo: Michael West Media. Click to enlarge.

In the United States, the Biden administration, like the Trump administration that preceded it, is hellbent on preventing China from achieving parity with the US on the global stage. In fact, to protect its hegemony, the US is prepared to use every means, including military might, to prevent this from occurring. Continue reading AUKUS and the encirclement of China →

AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare

Defence Issues, Military Spending,
Nuclear powered submarine USS Houston in Apra Harbour, Guam. Click to enlarge.

A petition launched by Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) opposing the AUKUS Security Pact and entitled ‘No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare’ is currenty circulating. It states:

The behind closed door commitment of Australia to a trilateral security agreement with the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) and a submarine fleet shows a complete disregard for the democratic process and undermines sovereignty. Continue reading AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U​.​S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare →

Does the government now attach greater significance to preparations for war than it does to seeking peaceful co-existence?

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Photo: The Canberra Times – Australian FA-18F Super Hornet. Click to enlarge.

That is the question MPG has put to the Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon. Linda Reynolds, in a letter.

MPG’s letter points to the fact that Australia has ignored the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire, by announcing an additional $270 billion expenditure on defence. Meanwhile it also ignores the risk of Covid-19 infection by hosting US marines in Darwin and by joining the RIMPAC naval exercises off the coast of Hawaii.

All of these points support the contention that the Australian government is more intent on preparing for war, than it is on maintaining peace. It is a sorry state of affairs. The full text of the letter can be read here.

Destruction of the ‘Australian Military Sales Catalogue’

Military Spending
Left click to enlarge

A public rally to symbolically destroy the Australian Military Sales Catalogue took place on June 30, outside the Queen Victoria Building. A small (and safe) fire was started for this purpose and the catalogue was destroyed page by page.

The catalogue is published by the Coalition government for the purpose of promoting the sale of Australian-made military equipment and weapons to other nations. Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne MP, has expressed the ambition of Australia joining the ‘Top Ten’ global armaments suppliers. View the YouTube video of the event here.

Read more about the opposition to the Coalition government’s new global defence strategy here.

Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Sydney – Sat. 21 April 2018

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The Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) takes place every year in mid-April. This day of action was originally proposed by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) with the primary goal of promoting a general awareness of the vast amounts of public money spent on the military.

Groups around the world who support GDAMS are calling for a major shift in budget priorities so that human development programs can be adequately funded. Continue reading Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Sydney – Sat. 21 April 2018 →