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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.