By Fu Bohua and Li Lun
Recently, the US Department of State issued a statement saying that the amount of military equipment sold by the US to foreign countries in the fiscal year 2023 reached a record-breaking USD 238 billion, an increase of 16 percent year-on-year. This fact once again exposes the US's intentions in continuously instigating conflicts and exploiting opportunities to profit from war. The significant flow of weapons and equipment globally undoubtedly brings more variables and challenges to regional military balance and global geopolitical security.
For a long time, the US has harvested wealth by creating conflicts and provoking wars in hotspot regions, with the driving force and winners being a consortium of US politicians and military-industrial complex. Currently, most of the global arms giants, including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and RTX, are from the US. These companies often collude with US politicians, disregard international security and stability, exacerbate regional tensions, and then profit immensely through military equipment exports and technology transfers.
After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, US arms dealers quickly enjoyed a "sales boom". Germany and the Czech Republic respectively planned to purchase 35 and 24 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, while Poland had the intention to purchase multiple MQ-9 drones produced by General Atomics, and other Eastern European countries intend to procure US-made Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles. These purchases of weapons and equipment by these countries are largely to fill the gap created after providing military aid to Ukraine and to prepare for larger-scale conflicts.
Arms sales are also considered an important tool of US foreign policy. The US weapons export report for the fiscal year 2023 shows that US military-industrial companies saw their sales through US government-arranged military sales increase from USD 51.9 billion in the fiscal year 2022 to USD 80.9 billion in the fiscal year 2023, a staggering 56 percent increase. This increase is closely related to adjustments in US foreign policy in recent years. In terms of export target markets, the US further expanded its weapons exports to NATO countries, including selling various types of weapons and combat command systems to Germany, Poland, and other countries, aiming to strengthen NATO's military power and enhance deterrence against Russia. In the Indo-Pacific region, the US continues to export weapons and equipment to countries such as Japan, the ROK, and Australia, and actively targets the Indian market to strengthen its integrated deterrent capabilities in the region, thereby advancing the "Indo-Pacific Strategy". From Europe to the Middle East, from Asia-Pacific to Latin America, the US hopes to firmly bind these countries and regions to its "chariot" through continuous military sales and making them serve its interests.
Throughout history, it is not difficult to see that the US has always resorted to wars and added fuel to the fire. Especially after the end of the Cold War, the US has been selling weapons to the world for its own benefit, fanning the flames and adding fuel to the fire worldwide. The US arms export volume has long been at the top of the global rankings and reached a new high last year. In the face of these facts, how can the US deny that it is the biggest disruptor of the current international security order?
