30 Countries Buying the Most Weapons From the American Army

Last year, the United States’ arms exports to foreign countries took a major leap, increasing nearly 50% from $34.8 billion to $51.9 billion. One of the biggest sources of the increase in weapons exports is Indonesia, which is shoring up its defenses against a potential Chinese invasion. As the United States refocuses the attention of its military foreign policy from the Middle East to its rivalries with China and Russia, it is seeking to build relationships with potential allies in Europe and Asia. One way to do this is to have those nations stop using Chinese and Russian guns, tanks, planes, and ships, and to start using American ones.  

To find the countries that U.S. Army contractors are selling the most weapons systems, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the most recent Army Weapon Systems Handbook for 2020-2021, published by the Army, and identified how many active or in development systems are being sold to each country. The countries are ranked by the number of systems being sold to each. We have included notable weapons systems that each country is purchasing as well. According to the Handbook, building up our allies’ military capabilities can “contribute to global security.”

One of the most popular weapon systems is the hellfire family of missiles. bought by 13 of the 30 countries on the list. An air-to-ground missile, a hellfire can precisely hit conventional and nonconventional targets. Nine countries purchased Blackhawk helicopters.

The majority of the military sales went to NATO allies, such as the U.K., Spain, and Poland. Army contractors also sold to countries the U.S. has had conflicts with in the past, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, as the U.S. is trying to strengthen their militaries.

Yet the most sales went to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, tied at a total of 15 weapons systems each. The sales to Saudi Arabia have become controversial recently when the country decided to cut oil production, thereby leading to higher gas prices. The Washington Post reported that lawmakers are considering pulling U.S. troops from the country and stopping all arms sales. 

Although not on the list, the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with weapons, too. See all of the weapons the U.S. has committed to Ukraine since the invasion.

Click here to see the countries that buy the most weapons from the US Army.

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