Significant Surpluses: Weapons and Ammunition Stockpiles in South-east Europe (Special Report 13)

Many states view surplus weapons and ammunition as ‘money in the bank,’ securing them for future need or future resale. A new Small Arms Survey Special Report for the Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction (RASR) Initiative—Significant Surpluses: Weapons and Ammunition Stockpiles in South-east Europe—critiques this perspective by assessing Southeast Europe’s (SEE) weapon and ammunition stockpile: its volume, value, and costs to national defence budgets.

Responding to concerns and aspirations raised by stakeholders during the first SEE RASR Workshop (in Zagreb, Croatia, on 5–7 May 2009,), and addressing the RASR objective of increasing regional stockpile transparency and cooperation, this Special Report compiles the latest surplus stockpile figures provided by RASR participating countries (as of May 2011).

Significant Surpluses: Weapons and Ammunition Stockpiles in South-east Europe presents recent stockpile data in a clear and comparable form, including within its scope comparative stockpile estimates, acknowledged PSSM priorities, and the significant efforts that certain regional countries have made to enhance transparency through the sharing of stockpile data.

To facilitate regional comparison, the report presents a series of country case studies organized into thematic sections.  The case studies cover the nine RASR member states: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. Each case study presents a short historical narrative, followed by available stockpile figures, including (where available) the volume, the estimated value, and the burden they represent to national defence budgets.

Significant Surpluses is published for the RASR Initiative by the Small Arms Survey with funding from the US Department of State’s Office for Weapons Removal & Abatement.  By drawing attention to the magnitude of surplus stockpiles in this region, this Special Report should provide an incentive to national legislative and executive branches of governments in the region to question national surpluses, and to engage more fully with potential donors to address their management and reduction. 

Available in: ENGLISH

Have your say about Small Arms Survey publications and products: take 5 minutes to fill out our questionnaire.