In March 2016, the United States approved a deal to sell nearly $700 million dollars
worth of smart bombs to the Turkish government.
This purchase is part of the US’s Foreign Military Sales program, which uses the US
government as an intermediary in facilitating arms sales to foreign countries.
Not only do these weapons bring in revenue for the United States, but they are a key
part of the US’s foreign policy.
With arms playing such an integral role in the world’s economy and stability, we wanted
to know: what are the biggest countries in the global arms trade?
Well, first of all, “the arms trade” refers to more than just weapons or armaments.
It includes military information, vehicles, and technology alongside traditional guns,
bombs, and bullets.
Most countries are unable to produce or develop modern military technology, so there are only
a handful of countries which supply the rest of the world.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the global total for military
expenditures for 2014 was roughly $1.7 trillion dollars, making up more than 2% of the entire
world’s GDP.
That’s nearly $250 for every person on earth.
There are nearly 900 million small arms and light weapons estimated in circulation, and
almost one million small arms alone produced annually.
This is on top of thousands of tanks, aircrafts, and warships.
So who is making all this equipment?
Well, the biggest weapons and technology exporter in the world, by a large margin, is the United
States.
It supplies roughly one third of the global arms trade, and in 2015 saw nearly $50 billion
dollars in foreign military sales.
Four of the top five largest defense contractors in the world are American companies.
With such a massive military budget, the US economy is actually optimized to profit off
of global conflict.
American weapons made by American companies bring in billions, and help to outgun anti-American
interests by supplying allied forces.
The next four largest exporters combined, Russia, Germany, France, and China, barely
outspend the United States.
So where do these weapons go, and why?
Well, the single largest purchaser of military equipment is Saudi Arabia, which spent roughly
6.5 billion dollars in 2014.
Although Saudi Arabia is not a particularly large country compared to others on the list,
it holds a unique and potentially dangerous position in the Middle East.
With nearby Iran dwarfing the Saudis in military size, Saudi Arabia is forced to compete by
using the latest military equipment, primarily bought from the United States.
But although the arms trade is intended to support allied nations, it is also how dangerous
groups are able to get their weapons.
For example, while Iraq is the 6th largest recipient of foreign arms, there have been
many reports that ISIS members are buying or seizing American made weapons.
Recent videos show ISIS using M-16s, manufactured in the US.
So while it may not be the case that the arms trade keeps everyone safe, there’s no question
that it makes its participants a huge amount of money.
But while the arms trade takes up a huge portion of the US’s budget and revenue, few weapons
are as expensive or as dangerous as nuclear weapons.
To find out exactly who has them, and who is suspected of having them, check out this
video.
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