Arms sales from the US to foreign countries increased dramatically last year, reaching a record total of $238 billion. The Russian invasion of Ukraine fueled demand for weapons and influenced the global market, with many states moving away from Russia, which has been the second largest player in the industry for decades, according to BBC.
The US government directly negotiated $81 billion in sales, a 56% increase from 2022, the State Department reported. The rest were direct sales by American defense companies to foreign nations. Ukraine’s neighbor, Poland, which is currently working to expand its military, made some of the largest purchases. Poland bought Apache helicopters for $12 billion and also paid $10 billion for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and $3.75 billion for M1A1 Abrams tanks, the US State Department said in a report for the US government’s fiscal year that ended in October.
It also spent $4 billion on integrated air defense and missile defense command control systems. Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised to continue the previous conservative government’s military modernization program, which aimed to make Poland “the strongest land force in Europe.” Germany spent $8.5 billion on Chinook helicopters. Bulgaria paid $1.5 billion for Stryker armored vehicles, while Norway purchased $1 billion worth of helicopters. The Czech Republic invested $5.6 billion in F-35 fighter jets and ammunition. “Arms transfers and defense trade are important foreign policy tools for the US with potential long-term implications for regional and global security,” the State Department said in its annual note released on Monday. Sales were also driven by countries distancing themselves from Russia, which has been the second largest arms seller after the US for decades, according to the head of the US Department of Arms Transfer.
“The Russian defense industry has failed and continues to fail,” Mira Resnick told Politico, adding that Russian arms manufacturers are “losing resources from exports,” such as cash. The administration of President Joe Biden has argued that US support for Ukraine stimulates the domestic economy through arms sales. However, US lawmakers appear increasingly willing to end direct support for Ukraine, with many Republicans calling for assistance to be tied to a review of US immigration policy. On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit a Lockheed Martin missile facility in Alabama to highlight the importance of the US defense industry for the alliance. Outside of Europe, the arms report showed that South Korea paid $5 billion for F-35 fighter jets, while Australia spent $6.3 billion for C130J-30 Super Hercules planes. Japan reached a $1 billion deal for an E-2D Hawkeye surveillance aircraft.