It's no secret to the world that the US has long been profiting from wars. With the ongoing escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, even those US politicians who used to boast about "peace" and "democracy" can't help but acknowledge this fact.
对于世界来说，美国长期大发“战争财”并不是秘密。随着俄乌冲突持续升级，那些把“和平”“民主”挂在嘴边的美国政客也忍不住承认了这点。
Recently, at a meeting in the White House, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a boon for the US economy. The weapons being sent to Ukraine by the US are manufactured by workers across the US, which expands the size of US facilities and creates jobs for US workers. He also openly admitted that the US support has allowed Ukrainians to continue their involvement in the conflict, and thus strengthened the US economy.
近日，美国国防部长奥斯汀在白宫的一场会议上说，俄乌冲突给美国经济带来“利好”。美方输送到乌克兰的武器，是由全美各地工人在美国制造的，这些投资扩大了美国设施规模，为美国工人创造了就业机会。他还毫不讳言，美国的支持让乌克兰人继续参与冲突，同时有利于美国的经济。
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the most serious local war in Europe since World War II, causing heavy costs to the countries involved and even the whole Europe. However, the US has reaped huge profits amidst the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
俄乌冲突是二战后最严重的欧洲局部战争，让当事国和欧洲付出了沉重代价，却让美国在乌克兰人民的痛苦中赚得盆满钵满。
Take US arms dealers as an example. According to the data recently released by the US Department of State, the US foreign military sales in 2023 increased by 16 percent, reaching a record-breaking USD 238 billion. Among them, sales arranged through the US government amounted to USD 80.9 billion, a 56 percent increase from 2022, while commercial sales by US companies reached USD 157.5 billion, a 2.5 percent increase from 2022.
Analysts pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a major factor driving the surge in US foreign military sales. Federal Reserve data confirmed this — since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, industrial output in the US defense and aerospace sectors has grown by 17.5 percent.
以美国军火商为例。美国国务院不久前公布了这样一份数据：2023年美国对外军售金额增长16%，达到创纪录的2380亿美元。其中，美国政府直接谈判的销售额达809亿美元，比2022年增长56%；美国公司的商业销售额达1575亿美元，比2022年增长2.5%。有分析指出，俄乌冲突是刺激美国对外军售攀升的主要原因。美联储数据印证了这一点——自俄乌冲突爆发以来，美国国防和航天领域的工业产值增长了17.5%。
After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US continued to increase its aid to Ukraine, setting a new record for the US aid to other countries since World War II. Among them, the biggest one was naturally military assistance. Of course, this was not a "free lunch." These military aid expenditures must be used primarily to purchase US-made arms and ammunition.
俄乌冲突发生后，美方对乌克兰援助不断加码，创下二战以来美国对他国援助的新纪录。其中，最大头自然是军事援助。当然，这不是“免费的午餐”。这些军援开支必须主要用于采购美国制造的军火产品。
The Wall Street Journal website recently reported that in February, the US Senate passed a USD 95.3 billion foreign aid bill with assistance for Ukraine and Israel, including about USD 60 billion in military support for Ukraine. According to US government officials, 64 percent of this amount will flow back into the US military-industrial complex, boosting US defense industrial base rebuilding and providing employment support for 40 states of the US.
美国《华尔街日报》网站不久前报道说，美国国会参议院2月投票通过一项价值约950亿美元的“对外援助法案”，其中包括约600亿美元对乌克兰的军事支持。据美国政府官员透露，这笔金额的64%将会回流到美国军工业，推动美国重建国防工业基础，并为美国40个州提供就业支持。
These military procurement contracts were eventually issued to US military-industrial giants by the US Department of Defense. Five major military-industrial giants, including Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon Technologies, had substantial orders, and their stock prices continued to rise. Those well-informed insiders on Capitol Hill also made a tidy profit.
这些军购合同，最后通过美国国防部下发给美国军工巨头们。波音、通用动力、洛克希德·马丁、诺斯罗普·格鲁曼、雷神等五大军工巨头坐享巨额订单，股价持续走高。而那些知晓内幕的国会山“股神们”，也顺带赚了一大笔。
War profits are ill-gotten wealth, but the US Secretary of Defense is quite proud of it. How tyrannical the US is to make the world pay for its own selfish interests. Those warmongers with blood on their hands are the main culprits of instability in the world.
战争财是不义之财，美国国防部长却颇为自得。美国为一己之私让全球埋单是多么霸道。那些双手沾满鲜血的战争贩子，是世界动荡不安的罪魁祸首。
US only had 16 years not at war over its 240-plus years of history. In terms of profiting from war, the US has long formed a military-industrial complex consisting of the military, arms dealers, legislators, defense research institutions, think tanks, and media. The US military-industrial complex is accustomed to provoking conflicts abroad, creating crises, and influencing government decisions in various ways to promote the adoption of confrontational and militarized measures by the US government, thereby reaping profits from war. "Provoking crises, starting wars, profiting massively, and consolidating hegemony" is the consistent logic of the US "war machine." The Russia-Ukraine conflict is just another example of the US "profiting from war" and "sustaining hegemony through war."
在美国240多年的建国史上，只有16年没有打过仗。在发“战争财”方面，美国早就形成了由军方、军火商、议员、国防科研机构、智库和媒体组成的“军工复合体”。它惯于对外挑动矛盾、制造危机，并通过各种方式影响政府决策，推动美国政府采取对抗性、军事化手段应对，从而实现“大炮一响、黄金万两”。“挑动危机—制造战争—大发横财—巩固霸权”是美国“战争机器”运转的一贯逻辑。俄乌冲突，不过是美国“以战谋财”“以战养霸”的又一案例。
This deeply ingrained cold-blooded capitalistic and hegemonic behavior warrants high vigilance from the international community. It also reminds us that only by further strengthening the forces that uphold international fairness and justice can effective checks be placed on the US "war machine." That is also the way to provide greater assurance for peace and development in the world.
这种渗透到骨子里的资本冷血、唯恐天下不乱的霸权行径，值得全世界高度警惕。这也提醒人们：只有维护国际公平正义的力量进一步壮大，才能对美国“战争机器”形成有效制衡，世界的和平与发展才会有更多保障。
Editor's note: Originally published on chinanews.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
