The Military Balance 2021

Front Cover

Published each year since 1959, The Military Balance is an indispensable reference to the capabilities of armed forces across the globe. It will be of interest to anyone interested in security and military issues and is regularly consulted by academia, media, armed forces, the private sector and government.

Key Elements:

1. Data on the military organisations, equipment inventories and defence budgets of 171 countries

2. Analysis of major developments affecting defence policy and procurement, and defence economics, arranged region-by-region.

3. Key trends in the land, sea and air domains, and in cyberspace

4. Selected defence procurement programmes, arranged region-by-region

5. Full-colour graphics including maps and illustrations

6. Extensive explanatory notes and references

7. The hardcopy edition is accompanied by a full-colour wall chart

Features in the 2021 edition include:

- Analytical texts on future maritime competition, battle management systems, China’s civil-military integration and fractures in the arms-control environment

- Military cyber capabilities

- Analysis of developments in defence policy, military capability and defence economics and industry for China, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Russia, Senegal and the United States.

- A wallchart illustrating global submarine holdings and key trends in subsurface warfare

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About the author (2021)

The International Institute for Strategic Studies is an independent centre for research, information and debate on the problems of conflict, however caused, that have, or potentially have, an important military content. The staff of the Institute is international in composition and IISS work is international in its perspective and reach. The Institute is independent and stresses rigorous fact-based research with a forward-looking policy orientation that can improve wider public understanding of international security problems and influence the development of sounder public policy, and more effective business decisions in the international arena.