Conversion Survey

The end of the cold war has been accompanied by a drastic reduction in demand for weapons. Defence industries in East and West have had to downsize, restructure, consolidate and convert capacities to civilian use. This book gives an overview of the industry's adaptation to lower demand for weapons, government policies to support diversification and regional initiatives to counter the negative effects of arms-industrial downsizing. The major countries are treated in some detail, with examples of individual companies undergoing restructuring. In addition, the book provides an update on other conversion-relevant issues dealt with in previous Surveys, such as military expenditures, demobilization of armed forces and base closures for the year 1997.