VOA慢速英语2019--各国的军费正在增加

World Military Spending Is on the Rise

The world's military spending is at an all-time high.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports that total spending was $1.8 trillion in 2018. SIPRI Senior Researcher Pieter Wezeman calls it a “worrying trend.”

Total spending last year was 76 percent higher than it was in 1998, the lowest year since the end of the Cold War. Military spending began rising after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people in the United States.

The U.S. accounts for more than a third of world military spending. Experts say the American military remains¹ the world’s strongest. It has 11 aircraft carriers, a powerful nuclear weapons supply, new fighter airplanes and about 2.1 million troops.

"I think sometimes there's a tendency to make Russia and China 30 feet tall, and they're not," said Bradley Bowman, a former military officer. He is now a top director at the Foundation for Defense² of Democracies. He told VOA that Russia and China have “real vulnerabilities” that the U.S. could make use of in a conflict.

But, he added, “there are also areas where they're more advanced than we are."

'Coerce³ and defeat'

China is now the world's second-largest military spender. It went from just 2 percent of the world's military budget in 1990 to 14 percent in 2018.

Bowman warned allies and partners about China’s purpose in the costly⁴ improvements in its military. He said it is planning to bring on conflict with the U.S. and its allies -- and win.

China built two aircraft carriers in the past 10 years, and a third one is in production. It has developed its own modern fighter planes. And, its troop numbers have grown to more than 2.5 million. The country is also investing in new technologies, including weapons that would fly at five times the speed of sound.

Wezeman says the speedy progress China has made has been seen “as a threat by its neighbors."

Other top spenders

In reaction, India has increased its military spending by more than $11 billion in just three years. It now comes in fourth in military budgets, behind Saudi Arabia.

Last year, Russia dropped out of the top five spending countries. But it still has NATO's attention after invading Georgia in 2008 and annexing⁶ part of Ukraine in 2014.

The 29 NATO countries spent $963 billion -- 53 percent of world military spending -- in 2018.

That number is likely to increase as the United States continues to pressure NATO allies to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.

"We can't let countries off the hook," U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday at the Royal United Services Institute in London. "You can't simply substitute and say, 'Well, my 2 percent is going to go to technology, or I'm going to build infrastructure⁷.' We need real capability⁸."

I’m Caty Weaver⁹.

Words in This Story

revisionist - adj. supportive of ideas and beliefs that differ from and try to change accepted ideas and beliefs especially in a way that is seen as wrong or dishonest?

tendency - ?n. a quality that makes something likely to happen or that makes someone likely to think or behave in a particular way?

vulnerabilities - ?n. areas of weakness open to attack, harm, or damage

advanced - ?adj. more developed, ahead

annex⁵ - v. to add (an area or region) to a country, state, etc. : to take control of (a territory or place)?

gross domestic product - ?n. phrase the total value of the goods and services produced by the people of a nation during a year not including the value of income earned in foreign countries — abbreviation GDP

let off the hook - expression release from responsibility

infrastructure - ?n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly?

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 coerce   

v.强迫，压制

参考例句：

• You can't coerce her into obedience.你不能强制她服从。
• Do you think there is any way that we can coerce them otherwise?你认为我们有什么办法强迫他们不那样吗？

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 annex   

vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物

参考例句：

• It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
• The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。

6 annexing   

并吞( annex的现在分词 )； 兼并； 强占； 并吞（国家、地区等）

参考例句：

• In addition to annexing territory, they exacted huge indemnities. 割地之外，又索去了巨大的赔款。
• He succeeded in annexing all the property of Hindley's and the Linton's. 他成功的占有了亨得利和林顿的所有财产。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

9 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。