A Leopard 2 tank undergoes drills at the Bundeswehr tank battalion 203 at the Field Marshal Rommel Barracks in Augustdorf, Germany, on February 1. An independent Sweden-based watchdog says world military spending has grown for the eighth consecutive year to an all-time high of US$2.24 trillion, with 13 per cent of the rise taking place in Europe, chiefly because of Russian and Ukrainian spending. Photo: AP