U.S. Now Controls More than Half of World Arms Sales

[The Straight Story]

U.S. Now Controls More than Half of World Arms Sales

American arms merchants enjoyed a dominant year in 2010 as the United States was responsible for selling more than half of all weapons worldwide.

Although U.S. arms exports actually declined last year, compared to 2009, the dramatic drop in global arms deals resulted in American suppliers controlling 53% of the market (up from 35% in 2009). Altogether, the U.S. inked $21.3 billion in new weapons orders with foreign countries in 2010. These figures do not include arms deals made directly between commercial weapons makers and other countries outside of the U.S. government program known as the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system.

Only 49% of all U.S. deals were with developing countries, which usually account for the vast majority of international military purchases. These nations accounted for 70% of all new arms agreements with American suppliers last year. In 2010, U.S. companies led the world in arms sales to developing countries, controlling 40% of the market.

The United States overwhelmingly dominates arms sales to the Near East, with the bulk of sales in the last four years going to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Iraq.

http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/US_Now_Controls_More_than_Half_of_World_Arms_Sales_110929

[Ikonoklast]

1. See, we're still good at something.

Disaster Capitalism at it's finest, now let's get those people fighting each other so we can sell them more stuff after they blow the stuff up they have now.

[valerief]

2. Need those private prisons for their slave labor to make arms. nt

[gratuitous]

3. And you wonder why we get so bent out of shape

Why is the U.S. so animated when some of these weapons we're flooding the nations with come back to kill some of our own? Has our country crossed the line into dementia? Are we unable to track even simple cause-and-effect developments?

[midnight]

4. At least these guns are being tracked unlike Fast and Furious...

[PavePusher]

10. Actual guns are a very tiny fraction of this trade.

Mostly this is about ordnance, combat vehicles/armor, and aircraft. And other countries make much less expensive/more robust military firearms.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. Shovel ready jobs

[vminfla]

6. Good to see we are keeping some manufacturing jobs in the US n/t

[firehorse]

7. I actually thought it was much higher. Our country makes its money on the business of warring..

It's unfortunate we don't manufacture and distribute products based on promoting peace.

[era veteran]

8. I know we were stupid enough to sell M 1 Abrams tanks

to questionable countries.
I wonder if we have hit complete stupid selling them depleted uranium ammunition.
I don't think conventional tank rounds can defeat it. I would hate to see our tankers go up against shit we have sold that can kill them.
Shades of Krupp

[vminfla]

9. M1 Abrams in Egypt

I fear that you may be right, depending on how the Arab Spring plays out in Egypt. However, I do not know of any US led Depleted Uranium sales of either military equipment or civilian applications.

[PavePusher]

11. All we have to do, if they become hostile to us....

is stop the flow of spare parts and ammo. Their own crap level of crew training/vehicle maintenance will take care of the rest.

This is all part of the plan. Remember Iran's F-14 fleet? Yeah, neither does anyone else.

[Hydra]

12. Clever

So we basically control the flow of war throughout the world by supplying the tools and the pressure?

Not very productive in the long run, but I can see why the greedy would love it.

[PavePusher]

14. Thus it has ever been. History, it's a ass-kicker. n/t

[Major Nikon]

13. But we can't regulate FMS because the NRA says the UN is going to take their guns away

Brilliant!