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U.S. military equipment sales to foreign governments have increased by 29% to a record $318,7 billion, driven in part by demand from Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported, UNN reported.
According to the U.S. State Department, U.S. military equipment sales to foreign governments increased by 2024% in 29 to a record $318,7 billion. This figure includes $18,8 billion in fighter jet sales to Israel.
Direct military sales by US companies are reported to have increased to $200,8 billion in fiscal year 2024, up from $157,5 billion in 2023, while sales arranged through the US government have increased to $117,9 billion in 2024, up from $80,9 billion the previous year.
The State Department statement said that arms sales and transfers are viewed as important tools of US foreign policy with potential long-term consequences for regional and global security.
Sales approved in 2024 included, among others, the supply of F-16 aircraft and their modernization for the Turkish army worth $23 billion, the supply of F-15 fighters to Israel worth $18,8 billion, and the sale of M1A2 Abrams tanks to Romania worth $2,5 billion.
It is noted that American defense contractors are struggling to meet the surge in demand for weapons, which has increased sharply as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The publication indicates that “the growth in arms exports from the US was due to the countries’ desire to replenish the stocks of weapons transferred to Ukraine.”
