Kuwait Defence & Security Report Q4 2010: New research report available at Fast Market Research

Aug. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- The high standard of living enjoyed by Kuwait's small population depends on a number of factors, none of which is guaranteed into the future.

The most obvious of these is the stream of oil revenues from continuing high levels of production and high world oil prices. In the longer term the level of oil reserves in Kuwait is finite and may be even more limited that has been generally believed. Oil revenues represent virtually the whole of government revenue and it is government spending that underpins social cohesion and blunts the incentive for radical change. In the current economic downturn for example the government has paid out unemployment compensation and has taken steps to pay off citizens' bad debts.

Increasing production efficiencies to extract more oil from the known fields will require foreign technology and FDI that is not allowed under Kuwaiti law. Efforts to relax the restrictions on foreign participation are making little progress.

Militarily, the country has been under the protection of the United States. Among other assets, Kuwait hosts Camp Arifjan, a vast, purpose-built US$200mn camp south of Kuwait City, housing 15,000 US soldiers. The downside is that this position is very unpopular with Islamist and anti-Western groups, The protection from direct military attack comes at the price of increased risk from terrorist attack.

In common with several of the Gulf State countries, the population is made up from expatriate workers (65%) and Kuwaiti's (35%). Among Kuwaiti's the population is split between Sunni (65%) and Shi'a (35%). Allegiance among the Shi'a lies, to a significant extent, with Iran while the country and its Sunni majority align with Saudi Arabia. Some Shi'a, including members of parliament openly state that they are principally Shi'a and only secondly Kuwaiti. Developments in the region outside Kuwait could increase tensions between the two groups, especially if the US/Israel launch military attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Kuwait's small military forces are dominated by the army, with 11,500 of the total 15,500 personnel. With only a very small industrial base virtually all military equipment is imported. Most comes from the US, but the UK and France have also received significant orders from time to time. There is parliamentary resistance to some of the programmes currently being considered. The need for and the cost of some of these advanced weapons systems is being questioned. - especially in the light of an essentially flat economic outlook.

In this report, we consider several different scenarios for the medium term future. The conclusion is that while the present position is comfortable and secure, the longer term outlook is much less certain.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
-  http://www.fastmr.com/prod/77313_kuwait_defence_security_...

Report Table of Contents:

Executive Summary
SWOT Analysis
- Kuwait Security SWOT
- Kuwait Defence Industry SWOT
- Kuwait Political SWOT
- Kuwait Economic SWOT
- Kuwait Business Environment SWOT
Global Defence Overview
- Global Hotspots
- Table: Election Timetable, H210-2011
- United States: Obama To Be Tested By Mid-Term Elections
- Latin America: Beyond Lula
- Western Europe: All About Austerity
- Central Europe: New Governments To Be Tested
- South-East Europe: Turkey's Ongoing Evolution
- Russia And The Former Soviet Union: Focus On Security
- Middle East: Ongoing Challenges
- Sub-Saharan Africa: The Election Conundrum
- Asia: The Usual Risks Prevail
- Wild Cards To Watch
Middle East Security Overview
- The Middle East In A Global Context
- Challenges And Threats To Stability And Security
- Regional Power Dynamics
- Nuclear Proliferation
- External Powers
- The Outlook For The Middle East
Security Risk Analysis
- BMI's Security Ratings
- Table: Middle East And Africa Defence And Security Ratings
- Table: Middle East And North Africa State Vulnerability To Terrorism Index
- Kuwait's Security Risk Ratings
- City Terrorism Rating
- Table: BMI's Middle East And North Africa City Terrorism Index
Political Overview
Kuwait Security Overview
- Internal Security Situation
- Iraq
- Latest Developments
- External Security Situation
- Latest Developments
Armed Forces And Government Spending
- Armed Forces
- Table: Regional Armed Forces, 2010 (including conscripted)
- Weapons Of Mass Destruction
Market Overview
- Arms Trade Overview
- Industry Trends And Developments
- Procurement Trends And Developments
- Procurement Background
- Latest Developments
Forecast Scenario
- Defence Outlook
- Table: Kuwait's Armed Forces, 2007-2014 ('000 personnel)
- Table: Kuwait's Government Defence Expenditure, 2007-2014
- Macroeconomic Outlook
- Table: Kuwait - Economic Activity, 2007-2014
Country Snapshot: Kuwait Demographic Data
- Section 1: Population
- Table: Demographic Indicators, 2005-2030
- Table: Rural/Urban Breakdown, 2005-2030
- Section 2: Education And Healthcare
- Table: Education, 2002-2005
- Table: Vital Statistics, 2005-2030
- Section 3: Labour Market And Spending Power
- Table: Employment Indicators, 1997-2006
- Table: Consumer Expenditure, 2000-2012
BMI Methodology
- How We Generate Our Industry Forecasts
- Defence Industry
- City Terrorism Rating
- Table: Methodology
- Sources

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Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.