Col Christopher Langton Bücher

The most authoritative assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of nearly 170 countries. New to the 2003/2004 edition is a section covering terrorism and other non-state armed activity. "The Military Balance is the unique and vital resource on which informed public debate of the world's armed forces is founded. Up-to-date figures and information on defense budgets, procurement totals, equipment holdings, and military deployments are presented clearly and succinctly. In the area of defense information, where nationally produced fictions often masquerade as facts, The Military Balance is the internationally recognized source of record." William S Cohen, former US Secretary of Defense

Published annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance is an assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 169 countries world-wide. The book is a region-by-region analysis of the major military and economic trends and developments affecting security policy and the trade in weapons and other military equipment. Key features of The Military Balance include: * Comprehensive tables: key data on weapons and defence economics, such as comparisons of international defence expenditure and military manpower * Analysis: essays covering significant military and economic developments, such as the "European Rapid Reaction Force" * Wallchart: detailed world map that shows current areas of armed conflict, with explanatory tables. Desgined to be an easy-to-read reference, this key title informs readers in as brief a fashion as possible on the widest variety of military topics through a mix of hard data and considered and informed analysis.