The Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) organised a webinar on “Emerging Global Military Trends and National Security: Challenges and Options” on October 21, 2021. Eminent speakers included Dr Asma Shakir Khawaja, HOD, Department of Strategic Studies, National Defence University (NDU), Dr Ivan V Danilin, Associate Professor, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Faaiz Amir, former Vice Chancellor Air University and Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Professor SPIR, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU).
Introduction by Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director ACDC-ISSI
Malik Qasim Mustafa in his remarks said that a careful review of military spending trends reflects that all the major powers are involved in strategic competition and investing in their weapons and military modernisation programmes. Major states are engaged in a new arms race and spending more and more on modern and lethal weapons technologies. For example, citing the growing strategic competition with Russia and China, the US has made large scale arms purchases, spent on its nuclear weapons modernisation and military-related research and development programmes. Russia, as the fourth largest defence spender, has spent US$61.7 billion on its military. Likewise, India, the third-largest military spender in the world wanted to modernise its armed forces and has concluded major defence deals with Russia, the US and Israel. Some major powers have already withdrawn from key international arms control treaties and norms and have shifted to warfighting doctrines and postures.
