Arms Industry Limited

Arms Industry Limited is an empirical account of the size and structure of the world arms industry with special case studies of the United States, the former Soviet Union, Canada, countries in both Western and Central Europe, and countries in the less developed world and in the Asia-Pacific region.

The book describes the various strategies which arms producing companies have adopted in order to meet the challenges and commitments of the post-cold war world. Governments are in the process of restructuring national armed forces and revising military equipment procurement plans. Military budgets are tighter in many parts of the world, affecting national arms production and arms exports.

The most common company strategies are to reduce the size of the firm and lay off employees, to mothball production facilities, to `transnationalize' firms, and to convert firms to non-military production. While there are counter-pressures to a decrease in the production and export of arms, in the future companies will probably have to reduce their production capacities and number of employees even further. The strong international pressure on governments to regulate arms exports, particularly since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, is also examined by the international group of experts who have contributed the case studies in the volume.

Readership: Professionals, teachers, and students concerned with strategic studies, peace studies, and international relations; consultants, policy-makers, and journalists specializing in these areas.

Edited by Herbert Wulf, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

"`in the best of SIPRI traditions: of broad scope, well-documented, and containing a wealth of empirical material and tables' NOD and Conversion"

"`a worthwhile buy for the serious student of international military/industrial affairs. Those briefers in search of background material will find it worthy of every penny' The RUSI Journal"

"`those familiar with the annual SIPRI yearbook will find the same rigorous and painstaking analysis ... What distinguishes Arms Industry Limited from other works is its examination of the economic pressures that affect the international arms trade' Amrs Control Today"

"`another excellent survey of value to peace movement activists and academic researchers alike ... It is another excellent reference work from SIPRI and deals very effectively with both the detail and the broad policy issues' Global Security"

"`If you want to know how the defence business is faring in the current climate, its all here. The amount of facts and figures that are presented ... are staggering.'Millennium"

"'A useful collection on an important aspect of contemporary defence economics.' The Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 16, Number 4, December 1993"

"`useful in providing a wealth of information about aspects of security ... valuable for their intelligent treatment of issues and problems which are likely to be relevant for many years to come ... This book is both topical and very useful for anyone who is interested in recent developments in and issues facing the world's military-industrial complexes. It is characterized throughout by clarity in the presentation and analysis of an impressive body of information ... The book is also good at putting current issues into historical context and at looking ahead to problems on the horizon, and as such does more than merely provide a snapshot of the state of the arms industry in the early 1990s' Intelligence and National Security"

"Well researched book ... Of particular interest to the Indian readers, is the present problems in earstwhile USSR, Australia, and Turkey, the countries on which we have little information. The book contains valuable information on industries in these countries." - USI Journal