By Nie Shuyi
US military personnel stand next to the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at the first World Defense Show in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, on March 6, 2022, local time. (Photo/VCG)
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict is about to mark its second anniversary on February 24 since its outbreak, the issue of aid to Ukraine has resurfaced in the US media spotlight. Over the past two years, it has become no secret that the US has been making profits from this conflict. Recently, the US media has uncovered a fact that the US, which has been instigating the situation in Ukraine, has never been concerned about regional peace and security, but has been fixated on how to secure its own returns and maximize its own interests.
The US has fattened its military-industrial enterprises by continuously fueling the Ukraine crisis. The crisis has led to a surge in orders for weapons and ammunition from the US defense industry, including both direct military supplies procurement for aid to Ukraine by the Pentagon, and European countries' purchases from the US for filling their inventory gaps generated by supporting Ukraine. The statistics show that of the more than USD 80 billion major US arms sales projects in FY2023, around USD 50 billion in munitions went to its European allies, more than five times the historical normal level in the transaction scale. According to data from the Federal Reserve, the US defense and space industry output value has increased by 17.5% since the eruption of the Ukraine crisis in 2022. The US media quoted White House officials as saying that a portion of USD 60.7 billion of the recent USD 95 billion emergency spending package has been earmarked for Ukraine, 64% of which will actually flow back to the US defense industry.
The Ukraine crisis has not only driven profitability for the US defense contractors but has also proved highly lucrative for its energy industry. According to reports, disruptions in Russian gas supplies have led to a sharp rise in energy prices and inflations in Europe and spurred their demands for US liquefied natural gas (LNG). The US became the world's largest LNG exporter last year, and the exports of their approved LNG projects are anticipated to nearly double in magnitude by 2030, with about two-thirds being directed to Europe.Alex Munton, Director of Global Gas & LNG Research at Rapidan Energy Group, an energy consulting company in the US, said that the five new LNG projects under construction in the US, with a total investment of about USD 100 billion, mostly begun to be built after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, and these large-scale arrangements have greatly benefited the US economy. For the Washington politicians in the election season, the economics of the aid to Ukraine has also become a chip for them to seek personal political interests. Biden administration officials just said that the money for Ukraine is actually contributing to rebuilding the US defense industrial base, initiating and expanding ammunition production lines, and providing job support for 40 states of the country. According to a report released by the United States Department of Defense on January 15, Pennsylvania and Arizona will each receive more than USD 2 billion in funds, while Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina will receive about USD 500 million funds. Given that these targets are all crucial swing states in the 2024 presidential election, the US media said that the White House hopes to reap political gains by influencing voters in these states with the input.
Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean of the Yale School of Management, and Steven Tian, director of research for the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, wrote in a paper that "Supporting Ukraine is in our self-interest, and America is the single biggest winner from supporting Ukraine." The economic calculation by the US media again revealed the truth underlying the so-called US support for Ukraine, that is, stoking fires for others while amassing wealth for itself.
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.
