Per il nuovo movimento contro la guerra: studio sulle basi militari e spese militari 2006

[rossana at comodinoposta.org]

Due studi da non perdere a cura del SIPRI.

Uno è l'annuario 2007: Armamenti, disarmo e sicurezza internazionale.
La spesa militare nel mondo è salita ai livelli della guerra fredda: 
Military spending, arms trade growing SIPRI reports that world military 
expenditure in 2006 was $1204 billion in current dollars, a 3.5 per cent 
increase since 2005. In the period 1997–2006 world military expenditure 
rose by 37 per cent.

Il secondo riguarda le basi militari: un assaggio (ovviamente si parla 
dell'approvazione italiana all'espansione della base di Vicenza):

Foreign Military Bases in Eurasia

Permanent bases and hubs in Europe (NATO and US)

Italy: Aviano airbase, Roveredo in Piano
Camp Ederle army base, Vicenza
Camp Darby army base, Pisa
La Maddalena naval base, near Sicily
US Navy headquarters, Naples
Sigonella naval air station, Sicily

REPOSITIONING NATO AND US BASES IN EUROPE 21

Realignment will reduce the number of US ground forces in Europe from 
five brigades to one (along with units of the restructured US Fifth, or 
V, Corps), resulting in the removal of some 38 000 troops. Eventually, 
the main US deployable units will comprise one brigade at Vilseck, 
Germany; an expanded airborne brigade at Vicenza, Italy; ( In 2006 3 
Germany-based US battalions and support units were added to the 173rd 
Airborne Brigade stationed at Vicenza. This step contributed to a crisis 
in the Italian Government in Feb. 2007 Kinglan, T., ‘Italy approves 
expansion of U.S. base’, Defense News, 22 Jan. 2007, p. 6) and two F-16 
combat
aircraft squadrons at Aviano, Italy (the Southeast Task Force).
President Bush has stated that a ‘very substantial’ US military ground 
presence will remain. Bases of major strategic importance located in 
Germany, Italy and the
UK or installations that serve useful military purposes will be retained 
and upgraded, but facilities which are no longer needed will be closed. 
The European headquarters of the US Navy was relocated from London to 
Naples to emphasize the new geostrategic approach.

16 FOREIGN MILITARY BASES IN EURASIA

En route infrastructure bases. ERI bases are strategically located 
enduring (i.e. meant to be used for an indefinite period) assets with 
infrastructure that provides
the ability to rapidly expand, project and sustain military power for, 
for example, forces that serve on a rotating basis or the NATO Response 
Force. ERI bases serve as anchor points for processing, training and 
combat and to demonstrate US commitment. They can also function as an 
MOB or an FOS. Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom underlined the 
importance of such bases in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and 
the UK.

http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=339


Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
11 June 2007

SIPRI YEARBOOK 2007
Armaments, Disarmament and International Security

SIPRI reports that world military expenditure in 2006 was $1204 billion 
in current dollars, a 3.5 percent increase since 2005. In the period 
1997–2006 world military expenditure rose by 37 per cent. The continued 
surge in China’s military spending—which reached an estimated $49.5 
billion (in 2005 dollars)—saw it overtake Japan ($43.7 billion) to 
become the biggest military spender in Asia and the fourth biggest in 
the world in 2006. India was the third biggest spender in Asia, with 
$23.9 billion (in 2005 dollars). The USA spent $528.7 billion and Russia 
an estimated $34.7 billion (in 2005 dollars) on their military sectors 
in 2006.
‘It is worth asking how cost-effective military expenditure is as a way 
of increasing the security of human lives, if we talk about avoiding 
premature deaths and disability due to current dangers. For example, we 
know that millions of lives could be saved through basic health 
interventions that would cost a fraction of what the world spends on 
military forces every year,’ says SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms 
Production Programme Leader Elisabeth Sköns.

China and India were the largest importers of weapons. The USA and 
Russia were the largest weapon suppliers.
‘The USA and the European Union countries continue to supply vast 
quantities of arms to the Middle East, despite the knowledge that it is 
a highly volatile region,’ comments Siemon Wezeman

For a copy of the SIPRI Yearbook 2007 chapter ‘International Arms 
Transfers’, which includes sections on arms transfers to the Middle East 
and the origins of the weapons used by Hezbollah.
A world of risk
In its overview of developments in the world of peace and security, 
armaments and disarmament during the past year, SIPRI Yearbook 2007 
highlights the need for a new broad and comprehensive approach to 
providing human security in view of the diversity of risks to security 
in the world today.
SIPRI staff comment on some of the issues covered:
On energy and security: ‘Seeing how energy could become a weapon or new 
conflicts could be caused is the obvious part: finding new ways to 
cooperate on the threats and hardships that will hit all humanity is 
tougher but ultimately more worthwhile,’ says SIPRI Director Alyson Bailes.

World nuclear forces According to SIPRI’s annual inventory of world 
nuclear forces, the USA, Russia, France, the UK and China together held 
more than 26 000 nuclear warheads at the beginning of 2007.

http://yearbook2007.sipri.org/