14. Arms race

1. arms / armaments race [countable – usually singular] competition between countries to have a larger number of powerful weapons гонка вооружений: All the assurances that the treaty would not inaugurate an arms race or cost the United States anything were brushed aside. | Arms races sometimes culminate in extinction, and then a new arms race may begin back at square one. | Nevertheless, the arms race went on. | They can emphasize the danger of a new arms race. | They say that it could erode existing arms control agreements and lead to a new arms race.

to provoke / spark (off) / trigger (off) / touch off an arms race провоцировать / инициировать гонку вооружений: A test ban that could not inspire confidence would undermine stability and might even provoke a new arms race.

to be involved / engaged in the arms / armaments race участвовать в гонке вооружений: They were engaged in the same armaments race, piling up more and more armaments.

to escalate / step up the arms race усиливать гонку вооружений

an arms race escalates гонка вооружений усиливается: The arms race between the superpowers has escalated still more. | The Soviet Union tested its own hydrogen bomb within a year, and the nuclear arms race escalated further.

to curb / control the arms race сдерживать гонку вооружений: They held a conference on ways to control the arms race in the region.

to halt / stop / put an end to the arms race остановить гонку вооружений, положить конец гонке вооружений: Halt the nuclear arms race, for one thing; stop the spread of nuclear weapons, for another.

2. to arm [transitive; intransitive] to provide weapons for yourself, an army, a country etc in order to prepare for a fight or a war вооружать(ся)

to arm sb (with sth / against sb): No government should be arming terrorists. | The rebels armed a group of 2000 men to attack the city. | We must arm ourselves against the enemy. | The army was well armed.

to arm for sth: They are currently arming for war.