I. Key developments in the arms industry, 2015

Chapter:

14. Arms production and military services

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2016

Author(s):

Aude Fleurant

The sales of arms and military services by the SIPRI Top 100—the world’s 100 largest arms producing and military services companies outside China, ranked by their arms sales—have been decreasing since their peak in 2010, although the pace of the decline has been slowing over the past two years.¹ This downward trend can be attributed largely to reductions in sales of companies based in the USA and Western Europe, which dominate the Top 100 both in terms of the number of companies ranked and in arms revenues. There were two main causes of the decrease in Top 100 revenues in 2014. First, the adoption of austerity measures to address the consequences of the financial crisis of 2008 led to reduced military spending, including on arms and military services procurement. Second, the formal withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq in 2011, and of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and coalition forces from Afghanistan in 2014, lowered demand for equipment and services acquired specifically for these conflicts (in particular mine protected armoured vehicles and private security services in theatres of operations).² Previously, the extent of resources allocated by the USA to procure goods and services needed specifically for these conflicts had led producers of armoured vehicles, such as Navistar, and private military services companies, such as KBR, to rate among the largest arms and military services companies, ranked by their arms sales.³