The UK's defense spending as a proportion of GNP is one of the highest in the OECD. However, as a response to the end of the Cold War, the 1990 Options for Change program was implemented in 1993. The army and navy came in for the greatest cuts in personnel and equipment orders. The UK's independent nuclear deterrent was scaled down. The emphasis now is on creating rapid reaction forces and fulfilling the UK's UN commitments.
The UK is one of the world's leading arms exporters. Major buyers include Middle Eastern states and the booming economies of Southeast Asia.
