(TotalConservative.com) – According to data from the last fiscal year, US overseas weapons sales have sharply increased, hitting a record $238 billion following a spike in demand resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
State Department data released on Monday, Jan. 29, revealed that around $81 billion of the $238 billion total came from weapons sales directly negotiated by the US government, 56% higher than in 2022. The rest came from US defense contractors dealing with foreign nations.
One of the biggest customers has been Poland. The nation, next door to Ukraine, is currently implementing expansions to its military. The annual report from the US Department of State for Fiscal Year 2023 showed that Poland dropped $12 billion on Apache helicopters, $10 billion on High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and another $3.75 billion on a bundle of M1A1 Abrams tanks. Four billion also went forward air and missile defense systems.
Donald Tusk, Poland’s Prime Minister, promised to continue the modernization program of the previous government, which was more conservative, and voted to make the nation into “the most powerful land force” in all of Europe.
The annual memo stated that arms deals and defense trade are important tools for US foreign policy “with potential long-term implications” for the security of certain regions as well as the entire globe.
Another big customer is Germany, which spent roughly $8.5 billion on an arsenal of Chinook helicopters, and Bulgaria dropped $1.5 on armored vehicles. Five and a half billion rolled in from the Czech Republican for F-35 fighter jets, and another $1 billion came from Norway, who purchased some multi-purpose helicopters.
Part of the reason for an increase in sales is due to many nations choosing to turn away from doing business with Russia after they invaded Ukraine in 2022, which kicked off the ongoing war between the two nations. For decades, Russia has been the number two weapons dealer across the globe.
Copyright 2024, TotalConservative.com
