US military spending up for first time in seven years

STOCKHOLM, Apr 29 (AFP): US military spending has risen for the first time in seven years, reflecting Trump administration policy, according to a new report released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Worldwide military spending also rose by 2.6 per cent to $1.8 trillion overall last year, SIPRI calculated.

It was the second year running the global figure has risen, bringing military spending to its highest level since 1988.

"The increase in US spending was driven by the implementation from 2017 of new arms procurement programmes under the Trump administration," said Aude Fleurant, director of SIPRI's Arms and Military Expenditure (AMEX) programme.

The US figure alone of $649 billion was as much as the next eight highest military budgets.