Afghanistan’s defense spending grew by more than 18 percent over the past four years, with further increases expected as the number of International Security Assistance Force troops decreases, according to a new independent report. Afghanistan’s defense spending grew from $0.9 billion in 2011 to $1.8 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach $3.4 billion in 2020, 11.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to the report by the British think tank Strategic Defens?e Intelligence?. The money—used to reconstruct the country’s entire military—focuses on countering threats from the Taliban and illegal drug traders, according to the report. While historically the country has focused on outfitting its military through deals negotiated by NATO, since 2014 Afghanistan has been able to buy from foreign defense manufacturers through government-to-government deals.
F-35 Deliveries Soared to New Record in 2025
Jan. 8, 2026
Lockheed Martin says it delivered 191 F-35 fighters in 2025—just ahead of the goal it set for itself at the beginning of the year as it works to clear a backlog of jets in storage.
