US arms exports hit record high in 2024, Reuters reports
Pravda Ukraine
Sales of US military equipment to foreign countries in fiscal year 2024 (which ended on 31 September) reached a record US$318.7 billion amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Source: data from the US Department of State; European Pravda citing Reuters
Details: Direct foreign arms sales by US companies increased to US$200.8 billion in fiscal year 2024 from US$157.5 billion in 2023, and sales organised through the US government increased to US$117.9 billion from US$80.9 billion.
Overall, US arms sales abroad increased by 29% over the year.
Among the arms sales approved in 2024, the State Department mentions F-16 fighter jets and their modernisation for Turkey worth US$23 billion, F-15 fighter jets for Israel worth US$18.8 billion, and M1A2 Abrams tanks for Romania worth US$2.5 billion.
Arms sales and transfers are seen as “important US foreign policy tools with potential long-term implications for regional and global security,” the State Department said.
Reuters notes that US defence contractors are struggling to meet the surge in demand that has increased dramatically as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Background: The Pentagon said that the freeze on foreign financial aid imposed by Donald Trump’s executive order does not affect the previously announced arms deliveries to Ukraine.
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