Spending on defence
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2022
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rahul Tandon looks at changing attitudes to defence spending following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There have been new funding commitments from countries like Germany, while Sweden and Finland now want to join NATO, but what's the true cost? We speak to Estonia's defence minister Kalle Laanet about his country's growing military budget, and German member of the European Parliament Viola Von Cramon Taubadel on her country's decision to spend more. Dr Diego Lopes Da Silva, a researcher with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, says global spending reached a record level of $2 trillion in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine. Steven Zaloga, a military analyst at the Teal Group, explains the role of cutting edge drone technology, and Allison Pytlak from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom discusses the human cost of conflict. Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: James Graham Photo: Ammunition in a shopping trolley (Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I had this secret. I robbed banks in my spare time. |
| 0:06.4 | Lives less ordinary from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:09.4 | This is not a good thing to do because police are after you. |
| 0:14.9 | Find out more at the end of this podcast. |
| 0:18.6 | Hello, I'm Rahul Tandon and welcome to Business Daily here on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:23.5 | Today, we're looking at defense spending. |
| 0:25.7 | We just reached the highest point for which we have any record, actually, in our database. |
| 0:31.2 | Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted new commitments to defense, but should we be |
| 0:36.1 | spending that money elsewhere? |
| 0:38.1 | That is money that is not being spent in other areas like education, infrastructure, health care. |
| 0:44.2 | That's all coming up on Business Daily here on the BBC. |
| 0:51.5 | In these days, you're starting for our people in the Donbass. Those are sounds from Russia's annual parade to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. |
| 1:08.9 | As you heard, there are plenty of pomp and ceremony and a military showcase |
| 1:13.0 | featuring thousands of marching soldiers, tanks and weapons. This year, with the invasion |
| 1:19.3 | of Ukraine, all eyes were on President Putin. His words gave few clues to future plans, |
| 1:25.5 | but his actions have already triggered a fresh approach to |
| 1:29.3 | defence in many countries. |
| 1:31.9 | It is a historic day. |
| 1:33.9 | Of course, we have for years been in very close cooperation with NATO. |
| 1:39.0 | We are close partners to NATO, but it is a historic decision that we will join NATO. |
| 1:45.3 | And hopefully we are making the decisions together with Sweden and at the same timetable. |
| 1:51.0 | That's Sanna-Marin, the Prime Minister of Finland, on her country's decision |
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