Abstract: The study aims at analysing the direct effects of militarization, environmental stress and poverty on socio-economic development. It also attempts to explore the interlinkages and feedbacks of the three factors and the indirect linkages and mechanisms of LDCs, with special emphasis on Africa. The study concludes that poor people are usually forced to put pressure on local environment for survival; this results in environmental degradation and competition of natural resources leading to social tension and military conflicts; higher militarazation (and consequently high military spending) follows automatically armed conflicts. Higher military expenditures have, according to the writer, substantial economic costs. The writer underscores that all this leads to widespread poverty – a trap that is enforced on LDCs.