Committee: Disarmament Committee

Topic B: The proliferation of military expenditures.

Director: Oziel Calvillo Gomez

Moderator: Jose Rios Torres

 

Facts to know:

A military budget of an entity, most often a nation or a state, is the budget and financial resources dedicated to raising and maintaining armed forces for that entity.


Many countries are spending a very big part of the GDP in the military expenditures of their countries. This is considered as such a big problem because most of the countries are not in wars, and spend big in their military, navy and air force. Also, some countries, give more GDP percentage to military than to other services. Some of this percentage may have to go to other services, like education, and research, and give less to the government to have good bases for the future.

The 5   countries that spend more of their GDP in the military are:

· 1st: Oman

· 2nd: Qatar

· 3rd: Saudi Arabia

· 4th: Iraq

· 5th: Jordan

 

In money:

· 1st: USA with $486.736 billion dollars

· 2nd: UK with $57.670 billion dollars

· 3rd: France with $54.592 billion dollars

· 4th: Germany with $38.145 billion dollars

· 5th: Italy with $33.454 billion dollars Also, some of the countries that don’t have wars keep spending some of their GDP to fight internal problems, or to have a line of defense. The military expenditures of the world were 1.473 billion dollars (2008). This is more than a single’s country GDP. And this is considered as a lack of interest on the other countries’ economy.

 

History of the topic:

The world proliferation of military expenditures has increased and decreased constantly. Even during, before, and after wars.

For example:

1. During the Cold War, high military expenditures were common.

2. High spending was reduced by allies such as various European and Asian countries as the Cold War ended.

It was only the US as the remaining global super power that maintained a high budget.


Curious facts:

· World military expenditure in 2008 is estimated to have reached $1.464 trillion in current dollars (just over $1.2 trillion in 2005 constant dollars, as per above graph);

· This represents a 4 per cent increase in real terms since 2007 and a 45 per cent increase over the 10-year period since 1999;

· This corresponds to 2.4 per cent of world gross domestic product (GDP), or $217 for each person in the world;

The USA with its massive spending budget, is the principal determinant of the current world trend, and its military expenditure now accounts for just under half of the world total, at 41.5% of the world total;


The problems military expenditures bring in are:

· Less protection for other countries in comparison to others.

· More probabilities of getting involving in war.

· Bad preparation in some unnecessary soldiers.

· Bad proliferation of Gross Domestic Product in some areas.

· The lack of care to some other institutions like education.

· The lack of resources for research.

· The lack of health industries to attend everybody.

 

Important opinions:

USA:
USA’s opinion is that they need to have the best military so that in that way, they can be the world’s 1st  in an economic way and militarily speaking. This will be acomplished by having an air force, a military, and a navy.

The UK:

UK thinks that the military should be voluntary and for only 3 years, they also think that it is important to have permission from their parents in early ages. Also they are so concerned about having a good military, that they even let people from some allied countries join their military.

These countries are:

· Papua New Guinea

· Ireland

· Nepal

 

France:
France thinks that it is mandatory to be in the service for at least a year. The voluntary service may be done from 17-40 years. It is divided in: Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale, includes Naval Air, Maritime Gendarmerie (Coast Guard)), Air Force (Armee de l'Air, includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie.

 

Russia:
Thinks that it is obligatory to be in the service for at least a year. The voluntary service may be done from 18-27 years. It is divided in: Ground Forces, Navy; Airborne Troops, Strategic Rocket Forces, and Space Troops are independent "combat arms," not subordinate to any of the three branches; Russian Ground Forces include the following combat arms: motorized-rifle troops, tank troops, missile and artillery troops, air defense of ground troops.


Questions for the delegate:

· What percentage of GDP does your country use in its military?

· Is your country in favor or against the high use of military resources?

· Does your country has something to do with the current wars?

· If so, What is it making with its military?

· Does your country invest too much in military? (billion dlls)

· What does your country thinks is the best way of proliferating it’s economical resources in the military?

· Is your country in need of spending too much in its military?

 

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget