The Era Of Rising Western Spending On Weapons And Wars Is Over

US military spending compared with other nations (Data sources: SIPRI and IISS)

Firms, Policymakers Struggle Amid Western Defense Cuts -- New York Times/Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Whether or not America's politicians can find a way to sidestep the brutal automatic military cuts of sequestration, the era of rising Western spending on weapons and wars is over.

That reality increasingly is challenging major arms manufacturers, spurring them to look for new markets, cost cuts and mergers. It is also confronting policymakers with difficult political and strategic choices as new rivals, particularly China, spend more on their armed forces.

U.S. military spending still dwarfs that of other countries - the equivalent of the next 13 nations' spending by some estimates - but the global military balance is clearly shifting. With European states already cutting, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies this year reported that Asian military spending outstripped Europe's for the first time in several centuries.

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My Comment: Yup .... the days of the U.S. (and Europe) continuing to spend and expand it's military are over. Future military spending and growth will now shift to Asia .... and it will be in Asia that future arms races, conflicts, international tensions, etc., will catch the world's attention.