By Nie Shuyi
The US government and arms dealers have once again reaped enormous profits. The US Department of State released a statement on January 29, local time, stating that the sales of US military equipment to foreign governments in the fiscal year 2023 increased by 16 percent, reaching a record-breaking USD 238 billion. Behind the continuous growth of US arms sales abroad is the country's strategy of profiting from war by instigating conflicts, which has severely undermined global peace and stability.
The primary channels for US overseas arms sales are government-to-government sales and direct commercial sales authorized by the US Department of State to private contractors. According to a statement from the US Department of State, intergovernmental sales in the fiscal year 2023 increased from USD 51.9 billion in 2022 to USD 80.9 billion, an increase of 55.9 percent. Direct commercial sales increased from USD 153.6 billion to USD 157.5 billion, an increase of 2.5 percent. The US has been stirring up trouble around the world to earn more profits. Since the outbreak of the new round of Palestine-Israel conflict, the US has also been "generous" to Israel. Not only did it immediately provide military support to Israel, it also bypassed Congress twice and conducted emergency arms sales to Israel in December. Data shows that from the outbreak of the Palestine-Israel conflict on October 7, 2023, to the end of 2023, the US provided at least tens of thousands of tons of military equipment to Israel.
Simultaneously, the US continued to fan the flames of the Ukraine crisis in 2023. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2022, the US has provided Ukraine with over USD 110 billion in aid, including a significant amount of advanced US military equipment and weapon systems. In the fiscal year 2024 budget submitted by the Biden administration in 2023, a special allocation of USD 106 billion was included, covering military aid to Ukraine and Israel, border security, and other purposes. Additionally, a report from the US think tank, the Cato Institute, pointed out that from 2012 to 2022, the US sold USD 16 billion worth of heavy weapons to 28 countries and regions actively involved in military conflicts.
Most of this huge amount of money eventually flowed into the pockets of US arms dealers. On December 7, 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that 90 percent of US aid to Ukraine was spent on US manufacturers and manufacturing, which created more jobs for US people and brought more growth to US economy. Behind each war, US arms dealers and politicians made a lot of money, but the places where the wars occurred are overwhelmed with fear, displacement, and death.
On the other hand, arms sales have always been a crucial tool in US foreign policy. For instance, the US government approved the sale of USD 2.3 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets and other military equipment to Türkiye, while also approving the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Greece on January 26. Media reports believe that selling F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye is a move by the US to secure Turkish support for Sweden's entry into NATO, while selling F-35 fighter jets to Greece aims to appease this long-standing NATO ally, which has strained relations with Türkiye. These two transactions clearly illustrate the role of foreign arms sales in the US maintenance of its alliance system.
According to a report from the US Department of State, a large number of weapons in the fiscal year 2023 were sold to its ally countries in Europe and the Middle East. Reuters reported that these weapon sales were largely aimed at helping European countries fill the military gap created by aiding Ukraine and preparing for possible larger-scale conflicts. The US firmly ties these countries to its "war chariot" through continuous arms sales, making them charge into battle for its interests.
While selling weapons under the guise of "maintaining peace," the US covertly welcomes the occurrence of wars, frequently provoking confrontations worldwide, and paving the way for arms dealers to reap profits. If the US continues to allow the military-industrial complex to hijack its domestic and foreign policies and relentlessly pursue the path of militarism, it is bound to backfire.
Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, 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.
