A new Center for Strategic and International Studies report reveals the increased military spending of China, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan from 2000 to 2011, Defense News reports.According to Zachary Fryer-Biggs’ story, the report attributes the increased spending with troop size and maintenance costs rather than large investments in research and development.
The report found all five countries made substantial increases in military spending between the years 2005 to 2011
China ranked first with a 13.4 percent increased spending, followed by South Korea at 4.8 percent, the report said.
The CSIS found Japan allocated $238,100 per soldier in 2011, while the other four countries spent between $$28,200 and $43,600 per soldier in that same year.
According to Fryer-Biggs, per soldier spending helps to measure both modernization and a country’s force capability.
China recently unveiled the country’s first aircraft carrier, inherited through a process that included the Soviet Union’s breakup.
