Electronic Weapons: January 18, 2001

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After years of decline, American spending on military electronics is on the rise again. Spending is up eleven percent this year, to $70 billion. While military electronic includes everything from radios and PCs to complex avionics, most of the money goes into the high tech stuff. Despite the increasing importance of information warfare and intelligence gathering, spending on electronics is expected to grow slowly, if at all, over the next ten years. A major reason is the demise of the Soviet Union and the need for expensive electronic warfare equipment to defeat Soviet defenses. No other nations is spending anything near what the U.S. spends on electronic warfare.