{"id":40070,"date":"2024-03-13T05:45:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T00:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=40070"},"modified":"2025-04-24T22:30:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T17:00:56","slug":"international-arms-transfers-report-by-the-sipri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/international-arms-transfers-report-by-the-sipri\/","title":{"rendered":"International arms transfers report by the SIPRI"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in news?<\/li>\n<li>What is Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)?<\/li>\n<li>Key highlights of the report by the SIPRI<\/li>\n<li>What are the challenges faced by India in Indigenous Production?<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in news?<\/h2>\n<p>The latest data on international arms transfers has been released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). As per this report, India was the world&#8217;s top arms importer between 2019-2023.<\/p>\n<h2>Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>It is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.<\/li>\n<li>Established in 1966, SIPRI is based in Stockholm, Sweden. It is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide.<\/li>\n<li>Its mission is to:\n<ul>\n<li>undertake research and activities on security, conflict and peace;<\/li>\n<li>provide policy analysis and recommendations;<\/li>\n<li>facilitate dialogue and build capacities;<\/li>\n<li>promote transparency and accountability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key highlights of the report by the SIPRI<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India continues as the world\u2019s largest arms importer despite ongoing efforts to bolster its defense-industrial base.\n<ul>\n<li>Between 2019 and 2023, the country accounted for a significant 9.8% of the total global arms imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Steady increase in arms import\n<ul>\n<li>4.7% increase in India&#8217;s arms imports between 2014-18 and 2019-23.<\/li>\n<li>This growth is partially attributed to emergency procurements made in response to the prolonged military standoff with China.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Changing Dynamics in Arms Suppliers\n<ul>\n<li>Russia (historically been India&#8217;s primary weapons supplier), still accounted for 36% of its arms imports.<\/li>\n<li>However, this trend is shifting, with India increasingly diversifying its sources to include Western countries and domestic manufacturers.<\/li>\n<li>The report highlights that the period between 2019-23 marked the <u>first five-year span since 1960-64 where Russian deliveries comprised less than half of India&#8217;s arms imports<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Growing Role of Western Suppliers\n<ul>\n<li><u>France and the United States are emerging as key suppliers to India<\/u>, collectively accounting for 46% of its arms imports.<\/li>\n<li>This trend is expected to continue with significant contracts in the pipeline, such as India&#8217;s procurement of 31 armed MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones from the US and 26 Rafale-M fighters from France.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Global Arms Trade Landscape\n<ul>\n<li>Top importers\n<ul>\n<li>India is followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ukraine, Pakistan, Japan, Egypt, Australia, South Korea, and China.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Top exporters\n<ul>\n<li>United States leads with a 42% share, followed by France and Russia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>India&#8217;s Role as a Major Arms Customer\n<ul>\n<li>India emerges as the largest arms customer for France, Russia, and Israel, indicating its significant role in global arms procurement.<\/li>\n<li>This underscores India&#8217;s reliance on diverse sources for its defense needs, reflecting its geopolitical positioning and security concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>China&#8217;s Dominance in Supplying Pakistan\n<ul>\n<li>China plays a pivotal role as the primary arms supplier to Pakistan, with a substantial 61% of its exports directed towards Islamabad.<\/li>\n<li>Additionally, China exports 11% of its arms to Bangladesh, further solidifying its influence in the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Challenges faced by India in Indigenous Production<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Projects under Strategic Partnership (SP) model have not materialised yet\n<ul>\n<li>Despite efforts to promote indigenous defense production, including the &#8216;Make in India&#8217; initiative, challenges persist. None of the &#8216;Make in India&#8217; projects under the <u>strategic partnership model have materialized yet<\/u>.\n<ul>\n<li>SP model is a framework introduced by the Indian government to encourage collaboration between the public &amp; private sectors in the defense industry.<\/li>\n<li>Under this model, private companies are selected as strategic partners to work alongside the government-owned defense entities in the development &amp; production of key defense platforms and systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Need for Overhaul in SP Policy\n<ul>\n<li>Key areas for improvement include a reassessment of the pricing methodology, ensuring long-term orders to sustain production, and addressing other bottlenecks that hinder project implementation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Low Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Defense\n<ul>\n<li>India&#8217;s defense sector has attracted only a meagre Rs 5,077 crore in FDI since its opening to private companies in 2001.<\/li>\n<li>This is despite the government&#8217;s efforts to liberalize FDI regulations, allowing up to 74% through the automatic route and up to 100% through the government route in 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>India&#8217;s status as the world&#8217;s top arms importer underscores the need for strategic reforms to enhance its defense-industrial base and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. As the country continues to navigate geopolitical challenges, fostering a robust domestic defense manufacturing sector will be crucial for achieving long-term security goals.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Q1)\u00a0What is the concept of Make in India?<\/h3>\n<p>The Make in India initiative was launched by Prime Minister in September 2014 as part of a wider set of nation-building initiatives. Devised to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub, Make in India was a timely response to a critical situation.<\/p>\n<h3>Q2) What is the Strategic Partnership (SP) model?<\/h3>\n<p>The Strategic Partnership (SP) model is a defense manufacturing model that aims to increase the private sector&#8217;s participation in domestic defense manufacturing. The model involves collaboration between a foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and an Indian company to produce weapons systems, aircraft, submarines, or tanks for the Indian armed forces.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/india-worlds-top-arms-importer-between-2019-23-sipri\/article67943114.ece#:~:text=India%20was%20the%20world&#039;s%20top,Peace%20Research%20Institute%20(SIPRI).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>India world\u2019s top arms importer between 2019-23: SIPRI<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sipri.org\/media\/press-release\/2024\/european-arms-imports-nearly-double-us-and-french-exports-rise-and-russian-exports-fall-sharply\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>SIPRI<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/defence\/india-remains-worlds-top-arms-importer-sipri-report\/articleshow\/108399377.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Economic Times<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/india-topped-worlds-arms-imports-in-2019-23-sipri\/articleshow\/108413336.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Times Of India<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SIPRI is dedicated to researching conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":40071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-40070","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}