Europe's Arms Race: Top Importer, Top Spender

0:00What's up? This is Global News today, bringing you the fastest global updates right now. Europe has searched to become the world's top arms importer over the last five years. New data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows European countries tripled their weapons purchases from 2016 to 2020 compared to 2021 through 2025. This shift was driven by threats from Russia and doubts about long-term United States security promises. The big jump helped push global arms transfers up by nearly 10%. Europe now grabs 33% of all imports worldwide, more than double its share from the prior period. Countries there rush to arm Ukraine and fix their own neglected defenses after years of skimping. Experts note that even as Europe ramps up its own factories, it kept buying heaps of American gear like fighter jets and long-range defenses. On the supplier side, the United States holds 42% of the export market, up from 36%. France sits second at about 10%.

1:04Russia's share crashed to just under 7% from 21% since its invasion of Ukraine. Overall, European exporters together claimed 28%, dwarfing both Russia and China. Meanwhile, Middle East imports dipped 13%, though Saudi Arabia and Qatar ranked among the biggest single buyers. Fresh orders are already in the works there, and ongoing conflicts could spike demand for missile defenses even more. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor, See the episode description. If earbuds fall out when you sleep, this is for you, a pillow with built-in sound, S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com.