Global military spending reached a record high last year, rising 3.7% in real terms to $2.24tn, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The increase was driven by a policy shift in Europe, which has boosted capabilities by the most since the end of the Cold War, in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The U.S. remains the largest spender globally, with a budget larger than those of the other top-10 countries combined. SIPRI senior researcher Nan Tian said that the rise in spending demonstrated an increasingly insecure world in which countries were increasing military strength due to a deteriorating security environment.