Elizabeth Leigh
Deloitte’s latest Global Defense Outlook report has examined the major shifts in economies to military spending and noted a new framework that sees countries with the best adoption strategies as the most likely to thrive, Fedscoop reported Monday.
Dan Verton writes that according to the study, a restructuring of national security policies is underway as the “war on terror†and conventional conflict give way to emerging regional crises and an evolving cyber threat landscape.
“Changing levels of economic growth and debt allow lower-income nations to increase defense investment, while higher-income countries retrench,†the report said.
This could mean those who spend more on defense are not necessarily the most equipped to deal with the changes, according to Deloitte.
The U.S. remains the top spender among the 50 nations surveyed but it also made the largest defense cuts within a five-year period from 2008 to 2013, according to the report released June 4.
Report authors found that the strongest push from the world’s military powers is moving toward building their cyber defenses and highlighted plans in the U.S., China, India, Russia and South Korea.
“Resources once devoted to tanks and battleships are now required to develop network security and offensive cyber techniques,†the report said.
