From the Cold War to Today: Defence Spending Trajectories and Crisis-Driven Peaks
17 pages · PDF · 12 September 2025 · Licensed single-user copy, watermarked to the buyer
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About this report
Is the emerging Cold War destined to replicate the structural dynamics of the one that defined the second half of the twentieth century, and if so, what lessons from that era can inform decision-making today?
The confrontation between NATO and Russia, reinforced by the broader strategic rivalry with China, raises the question of whether the forces that once shaped the defence sector remain valid in the twenty-first century.
Key questions this report answers
- What structural dynamics shaped Cold War defence spending cycles between 1947 and 1991?
- How did the post-Cold War peace dividend and renewed crises reshape spending from 1992 to 2021?
- What defines the contemporary structural uptrend (2022-2035) amid NATO-Russia and China rivalry?
- What framework distinguishes cyclical resilience of defence contractors from transitory crisis-driven peaks?
Inside this report
- Executive Summary
- Cold War Defence Spending Cycles (1947–1991)
- Post-Cold War Shifts: Peace Dividends and Renewed Crises (1992–2021)
- Contemporary Trajectory (2022–2035): A New Structural Uptrend
- Investment and Industrial Implications: Cyclical Resilience of Defense Contracto
- Conclusion: Structural Growth vs. Transitory Peaks – A Framework for Evaluation
Who it's for
Strategy, corporate-development and investment teams that need an ecosystem-level view — budgets, industrial capacity and technology landscapes — before committing capital or capacity.
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Methodology, format & delivery
DFM reports are built from primary and official sources — TED procurement notices, CORDIS and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, EIB operations, the NATO Innovation Fund portfolio, SIPRI data, official budget documents and company disclosures — read together with the underlying legal texts. Sources are cited in the document; it reflects them as of its publication date (12 September 2025). You receive a 17-page PDF, watermarked to you on every page, delivered on the confirmation page and by e-mail immediately after checkout (personal link valid 72 hours, up to 5 downloads). Guest checkout, single-user licence — Terms of Sale.
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