Confidence building  Confidence-building measures (CBMs) were
developed between military alliances during the Cold War to
avoid nuclear attacks by accident. They have widened into other
areas, military and non-military. This site focuses on the
weapons-related CBMs.  Transparency in armaments  Confidence and
trust grows when States are open about their military capacities
and plans. That is why every year they can report their military
expenditures to the UN, as well as their recent imports and
exports of weapons.    Sharing views on confidence building
Apart from these UN reporting mechanisms, many other military
CBMs exist. They can be divided into three groups:  Information
exchange measures  These seek to enhance the mutual
understanding of national military capabilities and activities.
They also facilitate regular communication to avoid surprise or
unsought military confrontations. Examples include the
reciprocal appointment of military points of contact, the
establishment of a hotline between top gener