Conventional weapons

All the military conflicts since 1945 have been fought with so-called conventional, or non-nuclear, weapons. The global annual military expenditure on such armaments and forces is generally estimated to account for over 80 per cent of the total annual military expenditure. Nevertheless, comparatively little attention has been paid to the conventional weapons aspect of the arms race in international disarmament efforts since the Second World War. The main reason for this is perhaps the wide recognition that conventional war does not threaten the survival of mankind as could a nuclear war. The international community has therefore focused on attempts to bring about nuclear disarmament and to prohibit various kinds of weapons of mass destruction. The potential destructiveness of conventional war has nevertheless been steadily rising, as ever more sophisticated conventional weapons have been developed and acquired by armed forces world-wide.

Related Subject(s): Disarmament