The percentage of GDP that each country allocates to Defense, exposed in this graphic with an unavoidable protagonist

Talking about war is looking at Ukraine and Russia. The contest between the two countries It is dilated from its start in 2022, but there are many countries that are in a War situation (between them or internally) and many others in constant tension, such as Myanmar, India and Taiwan with China either Poland with Russia. And that implies one thing: They spend more money in defense. Not only them: the world is spending more money on that militarization, and in this graph prepared by Visual Capitalist We can clearly see the military spending of each country in proportion to its GDP. Spending compared to your GDP. The gross domestic product is a A country’s economy indicator. It is the sum of all the goods and services that occur within a country for a year and, if it goes up, it means that the economy produces more. If you go down, on the contrary. That money has to be reinvested, and what we are seeing is that there are countries that are increasingly investing more money from their GDP in defense. For the elaboration of the graph, the data of the International Stockholm Institute for Peace Research -sipri- and, although these data are public, there are cases such as Russia, Saudi or China Arabia in which estimates have to be resorted to. The evergreen trio. In the infographic Ukraine stands out as the country that more money in relation to its GDP has invested in defense. It is estimated that Ukraine allocated $ 64.7 billion to His military arm. It is, with a lot of difference, the country that is making the most effort in the world in this regard, but the funny thing is that others with a much lower defense percentage, reach Astronomical figures. This is because the GDP of these other countries is much higher. Thus, we see that Israel with its 8.8% of GDP in defense, Algeria with 8% or Saudi Arabia with 7.3% or approach a Russia that invests 7.1% of its GDP, which translates into about 149,000 million dollars. Then we have Chinainvesting 1.7% of its GDP – about 314,000 million dollars – and the true monster: a United States that, with its 3.4%, is estimated to invest about 997,000 million in defense. Logical. As we say, it has all the meaning that is the countries with greater tension that most invest in defense because it is not necessary to have an open war to be in those first positions. An example is Poland, which has increased spending due to recent tensions with Russia. Another example is that of Algeria, which in 2022 allocated 4.1% of its GDP to Defense and in 2024 the figure folded to 8% due to the dispute of the Western Sahara with Morocco. Alcista Trend. According to the SIPRI, although not all NATO members fulfilled their objectives, something for what Trump is pushingmilitary expenditure did increase in all of them. The aforementioned United States represents 66% of NATO spending And more than a third, they alone, of the world military spending. And the situation is far from sending. In 2023, global military expend Cold war. For contextualizing something else, the agency estimates that the United Kingdom increased its military expenditure by 2.8%, France by 6.1%, Sweden in 34% and Mexico by 66% during the last year. In total, taking world GDP, it is estimated that the world spent 2.5% of it in the army, when the last years had remained around 2.2%. And that before Europe installs rearme. In Xataka | To hunt Russian drones, Ukraine is resorting to a revolutionary technique … from World War I

The United Kingdom tested its sophisticated defense simulating the day of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. Did not go as expected

Simulations are an essential part of the network of nations defense. We have a large number of examples, from the “game” that They used in the Cold War The United States and Russia to conclude that it was not worth test try your last destroyer against Washington, or those who He has activated Taiwan In recent times “for what can happen.” The United Kingdom also carried out a test that should confirm that its arsenal is ready for battle. The conclusions were not exactly those. A brutal lesson. The story took place a while ago. As we said, the United Kingdom carried out a Strategic simulation of very high importance: he replied in his own aerial territory the exact pattern of the first Russian attack on Ukraine, which occurred on February 24, 2022. He did it through the Gladiator Training Systemvalued at 24 million pounds, and with the aim of evaluating how their defenses would respond if the same type of onslaught would have had the British soil as white. The conclusion It was alarming. Although the results were not revealed in detail, the then commander of the Air Battlespace Training CenterThe Blythe Crawford Air Comodoro, was bluntly describing it as “a very beautiful panorama.” For a country that for decades felt protected by its location to the western edge of Europe (with the continental mass acting as mattress natural against threats), the exercise was a strategic shaking that threw old assumptions for land. A threat that is no longer distant. Then it was more known, mainly than the exercise revealed vulnerability from the United Kingdom before a massive and modern air attack like Russia used against Ukraine, with a devastating combination of missile, drones and autonomous technologies. Crawford also stressed that Ukraine made everything West will awaken. The conflict not only exposed the brutality of the first Russian blows, but also highlighted how modern war has transformed the rules of aerial domain, such as We have been counting. Crawford explained that it is no longer about achieving aerial superiority in broad and sustained terms throughout an operations theater, but to assume that supremacy can be Fragmentary, ephemeraleven located between two trenches or just a few meters from the ground. The war in Ukraine, he said, is an unprecedented battlefield between two countries with powerful air defense systems, but where none has achieved A full domain of the heavens, in contrast to the predominant aerial doctrine of the last decades. The swarm that comes. One of the most revealing points of Crawford’s intervention was his analysis of the massive drone use In Ukraine. For the high command, it is no longer simply individual devices: now they face hundreds of hundreds of units, many of them equipped With explosivesothers designed as lures, and others Simply kamikaze. These waves, combined with rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles, configure a type of multiple, simultaneous and heterogeneous threat for which traditional defensive systems were conceived in much more predictable scenarios. The tactical dilemma, In his opinionIt is clear: “Should all attack vectors neutralize or prioritize the most lethal?” A question without a definitive solution, but that affects all the Western air forces. Of strength to vulnerability. One of the most forceful messages of the United Kingdom simulation was the need to change the defensive mentality of the nation and its allies. For decades, modern wars were fought away from the national territory, which led to an erroneous perception of domestic security. Hence, Comodoro warned that it is time to abandon that trust and assume that even the British bases are now under direct threat. In other words: the United Kingdom cannot be considered as a simple safe starting point for foreign operations, but should be thought of as a potential objective and prepare as such. The risk, In his opinionIt is not hypothetical: if Russia decided to launch an attack against British soil, it could do it through its northern fleet from the Atlantic, thus avoiding European airspace. Redrawing doctrines. The last of the legs to deal with the simulation results. The Ukrainian case is rewriting military doctrines that during generations were considered unquestionable. The notion of total air control, cornerstone of NATO strategy from the Gulf War, seems to be eroding for a New generation of threats which combines speed, volume, unpredictability and autonomy. For Crawford and many other strategists, the key is to learn quickly, assume that the scenario (in this British case) is no longer immune, and rethinking defense systems as if the next attack did not happen in a distant country, but in “house.” Image | US Department of Defense In Xataka | The countries with more combat tanks, ordered in this graphic developer In Xataka | Satellite images have revealed what happened to one of Russia’s biggest arsenals. Now we understand Moscow’s silence

In Denmark more and more people are getting ready as volunteers for civil defense. Just in case

The Danish National Guard, better known as Hjemmeværnet or for its HJV initials, it already has Eight decades of history behind him, but he had rarely lived a April more moved than that of 2025. Throughout the last month almost 800 Danish They showed interest in joining the ranks of this body of volunteers created to “Respond to emergencies” and support the country’s defense. You have to go back to the 80sin full cold war and tensions with the USSR, to find a spring start with better recruitment data. The increase in interest in the HJV comes at a very special moment at the geopolitical level: after three years of War in Ukrainea Emboldened Russia and with Trump sowing doubts on the future of the US in NATO and showing their interest in Annex Greenlandnow under Danish sovereignty. A fact: 1,732 inscriptions. In a convulsive geopolitical scenario and with Copenhagen pending what happens in kyiv, Moscow and Washington, more and more Danes They show interest in The HJVa body formed by trained volunteers to act in emergency cases and support the country’s army. The data are revealing. During the first quarter of the year 1,732 Danes They filled and confirmed the form to register in the National Guard. During the same 2024 period they did 1,041 And in 2023 there were 663. In just two years the growth, at least during those months, was 161%. And interest does not seem to be referring, like They recognize From HJV itself: last month 764 people confirmed their desire to enlist. You have to go back to the 80s to find an April in which the Hjemmeværnet aroused so much interest. “Have you valued to join?” With this backdrop data, Voxmeter recently conducted a survey for the Danish news agency Ritzau that throws another striking figure. Its technicians interviewed 1,018 people to those who asked the same question: “Have you considered joining the National Guard?” The majority (85.8%) replied that no, but 9.5% gave an affirmative response and 4.5% acknowledged that “he does not know,” which means that he does not rule it out either. The figure is relevant due to its reach (the tenth values ​​to swell the ranks of the organization), but also for what it tells us about the image of the HJV. Bent Åge Andersen, a National Guard veteran, Recognize to the newspaper BERLINGSKE that the Danes no longer look with the same eyes to the volunteers. “Before it was usual for people to smile when we exercised and we arrived uniformed and with weapons. We called the weekend soldiers. It was a joke for years. But today there is a totally different attitude.” What exactly do they do? In Your official page HJV is presented as “a voluntary emergency response military organization that supports the Danish defense.” With that purpose its members, who include civilians who work in companies that have nothing to do with weapons, carry out military training. eldiario.es I spoke recently With one of the new volunteers, Anne Kaae, a 38 -year -old woman without prior military experience. If you have decided to take the step, he explains, it is for “the concern” that generates “what happens in the world.” “A wide range of tasks”. In an article published this weekend, the newspaper Describe A training on the outskirts of Copenhagen with 40 men and women who when the HJV uniforms are taken are normal civilians. There is some war veteran, but most study or work in trades that have nothing to do with weapons. Thanks to the military training they receive, the National Guard has participated in Surveillance worksearches for missing or preparation against extreme weathering phenomena. Especially on Danish soil. “We solve a wide range of tasks for the armed forces, the global emergency response and civil society,” The HJV emphasizeswhich recalls that, to a lesser extent, its volunteers also offer support in international missions outside Denmark. In March the Ministry of Defense claimed that the number of active volunteers exceeds 14,000. The registration flow has been so high that Recognize that the new ones can find “an extra waiting time.” Matters how much … and does when. The increase in HJV enlistments is important, but so is the geopolitical context in which it comes, mainly marked by three major scenarios: Ukraine, Russia and the US. To the three years of war in Ukraine, from January 20, Trump’s return to the White House, his approach to Moscow, the distancing with the EU and its Declarations about NATOthat have sown doubts about what degree of involvement Washington will have from now on in the Atlantic Alliance. If the scenario were not complex enough in itself, in the case of Denmark another extra factor is added that has further tensioned the relationship with Washington: Greenland. Trump ha OpenamentAnd his desire for the US to control the Arctic Island, now administratively linked to Copenhagen, and has even suggested that it could resort to force to achieve its goal. “I do not say that I will do it, but I do not rule out anything. We need Greenland with urgency. We need it for international security,” argued The American leader a few days ago during an interview at the NBC News. “A dangerous situation”. Beyond the HJV, Denmark has decided to redouble his commitment to the defensal. In February the government headed by Mette Frederiksen announced its plans to mobilize 6,700 million euros in two years for a Urgent reinforcement of his defense. The objective: achieve 3.2% of GDP. “We are in the most dangerous situation in many, many years. Therefore, because of the Russian threat, to defend Denmark and avoid war, we promote a new reinforcement,” summed up the Danish Prime Minister, who made at the beginning of the month A visit to the National Guard. Copenhagen’s redoubled military effort also contemplates dedicating 53.6 million euros to HJV equipment. Denmark is not the only one that is increasing its commitment to military spending. The EU … Read more

A “bubble” in your defense

A little over a decade ago, the United States’s fleet of aircraft carriers looked back and did not see anyone absolutely. There was not a single nation that approached the operational and quantitative supremacy of the Navy. And yet, just ten years later something has changed. In 2024, its fleet proved to remain the first of the league to face massive drones and missile attacks at the Red Seabut when he looks back now, Someone approaches every pill: China. The data that changes everything. In power shown by the United States in the Red Sea it is possible thanks to The powerful fleet of 11 USed of the US Navythat dominates both the Atlantic and the Pacific. However, a new rival is emerging quickly: China, which happened not to have a single carrier just over a decade ago To currently have three and an ambitious expansion plan with a room on the road that could be of nuclear propulsion. Historically, China has been a terrestrial power, but on its way to become a naval superpower, it has prioritized the modernization of its fleet. From Liaoning’s acquisition in 2012a rebuilt Soviet helmet, until The launch of the advanced Fujian in 2022the nation has not only shown that it can build aircraft carrier, but can design and operate them independently. Plus: It has a defensive bubble that gives it an advantage. 2049, the date marked in red. The Chinese objective is clear: Have at least seven carriers for 2049centenary of the Chinese revolution and date on which Beijing has set, a priori, his goal of reunification with Taiwan, by peaceful means (or military). Currently, the Navy of the Popular Liberation Army (Plan) already exceeds the United States Navy in number of ships, With more than 370 vessels against the 295 Americans. No doubt, if China manages to expand its fleet of aircraft carriers and improve its technology to the current rhythm, it could directly challenge US naval supremacy in the Indo-Pacific. The future of the war of aircraft carrier. If the United States and China maintain their current development rates, the 2040s will be a turning point in the global naval balance. The United States will deploy its sixth generation hunting NEXT GENERATION Air Dominance (NGAD)designed to overcome the weaknesses of the F-35 and offer greater scope and attack capacity. With a mix F-35C and NGAD, the American fleet will have an advantage in long-range air combat. China, meanwhile, will develop the J-35 hunting, its version of the F-35, and possibly introduce a new naval combat plane (J-XX). It will also have Your own KJ-600 early alert planeequivalent to E-2 Hawkeye. A different strategy. Unlike the United States Navy, where aircraft carriers are the central axis of their maritime strategy, China does not seem to depend on them as the cornerstone of their naval power. Instead of using them to project power globally, The Navy of the Popular Liberation Army (Plan) operates its aircraft carriers within a highly protected environmentprotected by his advanced ANTI-ACCESSING/DENion of Area Strategy (A2/AD in English). This defensive system has been Designed to master the first island chain (which includes Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines) and neutralize any attempt at US military intervention in the region. In other words, Chinese aircraft carriers are not, for themselves, a global naval supremacy tool. They are, rather, force multipliers inside the defensive shield A2/ADwhich allows them to operate with greater security and support Beijing’s growing influence on the Indo-Pacific. The expansion of aircraft carriers in the strategy. Counted in The National Interest That the development of the China aircraft fleet has been rapid and methodical. What began with the Liaoning, that old rebuilt Soviet helmet and even belittled by the naval powers, has become an increasingly advanced and ambitious naval construction program. As we said at the beginning, China currently has three aircraft carriers. Namely: the Liaoning (2012), and the first of its class mainly used for training and tests. Then it is The Shandong (2019)an improved version of the Liaoning, but even with technological limitations, such as its ramp take-off system (skii-jump), and Finally the Fujian (2022)the most advanced so far, With electromagnetic catapults (EMALS) and a design that brings it closer to the standards of US carriers. Liaoning A room on the road. The fourth aircraft carrier, whose launch is planned in the coming years, I could mark a milestone for China if it really is nuclear propulsionwhich would significantly increase its autonomy and capacity of operations away from the Chinese coast. The key: a bubble. The concept of anti-access/denial of area (A2/AD) is based on The combination of long -range missiles, advanced radars and electronic war systems to create a defensive shield that hinders the entry of enemy forces into a specific region. In this regard, China has developed a sophisticated A2/AD network in the Indo-Pacificusing anti -men’s ballistic missiles (as the DF-21D and The DF-26), Advanced Air Defense Systems, Silent Submarines and Electronic Interference Technology to deter and neutralize the US military presence in the region. In fact, thanks to this kind of bubble Of defense, Chinese carriers do not need to operate independently or venture away from their coasts. Instead, They can move with relative security within the protected areausing its airplanes to reinforce Beijing control over Taiwan and the South China Sea. For its part, United States aircraft carriers do not have this level of protection in the Western Pacific. While the American navy remains the most powerful naval force in the world, its attack groups of aircraft carriers can be threatened when operating within the radius of the Chinese missiles, which exposes them to a much greater risk. Strategic impact Thus, Beijing’s strategy completely changes the rules of the game in the Pacific. Instead of competing directly with the United States in the amount of aircraft carrier and its power projection capacity, China is building a naval force designed to make US carriers less effective Within its sphere of influence. This inevitably leads … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.