According to a Stockholm think tank, global military spending has risen for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year in 2022, reaching $2.2tn, the highest levels since the end of the Cold War. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) stated that military spending increased by 3.7% compared to 2021, with a notable 13% increase in Europe. Military budgets include expenses such as weapons, salaries, and research and development. The United States, China, and Russia were the largest spenders in 2022. SIPRI’s senior researcher, Nan Tian, expressed concern that rising military spending is indicative of a “deteriorating security environment.” Central and Western European countries spent a record $345bn, a 30% increase from 2013, and the sharpest increases were observed in Finland (+36%), Lithuania (+27%), Sweden (+12%), and Poland (+11%). SIPRI’s Lorenzo Scarazzato observed that several Eastern bloc states have more than doubled their military spending since Russia seized Crimea in 2014.