Current Affairs 2022: Highlights of SIPRI ‘2021 Trends in International Arms Transfers’ Report

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is a Swedish think tank and has released its 2021 yearbook.

SIPRI is an autonomous international institute, which is dedicated to conducting research into armaments, conflict, disarmament and arms control. The institute was established in 1966 in Stockholm, Sweden. Its major function is to provide data, analyse international crises and provide recommendations for the same. Its research and recommendations are based on open sources, researchers and media and are useful to policymakers and the public.

Context of the International Arms Transfer Report, 2021

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is a Swedish think tank and has released its 2021 yearbook. The report came up with certain data regarding the Nation States that have created Global interest. Let’s look at what these findings are:

• India has reported possession of 156 nuclear warheads as estimated at the beginning of 2021, which when compared to the start of last year is six more, whereas Pakistan had 165 warheads at the beginning of 2021, up from 160 in 2020.
• China has increased its nuclear arsenal, which consists of 350 warheads in 2021 from 320 at the beginning of 2020.
• The nine states in open possession of nuclear weapons are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan and Israel. These countries are together holding on to an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons as of the start of 2021.
• Over 90% of global nuclear weapons are possessed by the USA and Russia.

Cause of Concern

There is a drastic increase in the total number of warheads in global military stockpiles, which is a sign of grave concern. This is mainly because there was a declining trend characterising global nuclear arsenals after the end of the Cold War and has now stalled.

• The bigger concern is that India and Pakistan, which are always at loggerheads, are acquiring/developing new technologies and are able to dangerously undermine defence for each other through nuclear weapons.
• The two nations seem to be prone to using their nuclear weapons in the future under any stipulation or misinterpretation during a crisis, which is a risky affair pertaining to global peace and the security of both the nations.
• China has evolved its profile as a nuclear-weapons state and it is a threat to India’s security.

Where does India stand on nuclear weapons?

• India has committed to the policy of No First Use (NFU) against any nuclear weapon state and no use at all against any non-nuclear weapon state. 
• India has been in open support of holding negotiations on the Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention.
• India has also committed to participating in dialogues regarding a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in the Conference on Disarmament. 

Findings of the Report that are specific to India

• India is the second-highest importer of nuclear fuel, only succeeded by Saudi Arabia.
• Russia has been the largest supplier of arms to India during both periods from 2011-2015 and 2016-2020. Though, Russia’s share in imports of arms to India has fallen from 70% to 49% in the past decade.
• In 2016–20, the second and third largest suppliers of arms to India were France and Israel. Imports from France have increased by 70.9% and from Israel, it’s hiked by 82%.
• The United States of America has become the fourth-largest supplier to India during this period (2016-20). This is a fall from being the second-largest arms supplier in 2011–15.
• India has contributed 0.2% of the share of total arms exports globally during 2016-20. This has made India the world’s 24th largest exporter of arms. 
• This shows an increase of over 100% in India’s export share, which was 1% during the period of 2011-15.
• Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Myanmar have been the recipients of most of the Indian military hardware.

Trends Expected in the Future

Seeing the increase in threats from China & Pakistan, and a delay in the manufacturing of defence equipment, India is expected to import arms in order to increase its stock in the next few years.

The Reasons for a Fall in Indian Imports

• The report states that the fall is an outcome of the government’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing for India. More than 60% of the capital expenditures allocated to the armed forces have been for domestically produced weapons.
• The major drop in Indian arms imports has been mainly attributed to the complex procurement processes, which is also combined with the attempt to decrease dependency on Russian arms imports.

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About the author

With a master's degree in environmental science, Priya Sengupta found her true calling in words and stories. A passionate writer, avid reader and a dog parent, she spends her me-time reading Bengali literature and listening to soulful music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.