2008 Shows Decline in Arms Exported by U.S.August 06, 2009

 

Weapons deliveries through the U.S. Defense Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program fell by $1 billion in fiscal year 2008 compared to 2007, according to the Annual Military Assistance Report.

Global orders for weapons produced by the United States totaled $10.99 billion in 2008 compared to $11.91 billion in 2007.

"This is surprising given the significant increase in FMS agreements in recent years," said Matt Schroeder, the manager of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Government Accounting Office records show FSM agreements jumped from $9.5 billion in 2005 to more than $18 billion in 2006, Schroeder added. Total agreements doubled to $36 billion in 2008.

"One possible explanation for the apparent lag is that deliveries, and particularly deliveries of big-ticket items, can take years," Schroeder points out. "If this is the explanation, FMS delivery totals are likely to rise sharply over the next few years."

The FAS acquired the report, commonly known as the "Section 655 Report," from the Pentagon under the Freedom of Information Act. The Defense Department and the State Department compile the report each year to meet the requirements of the Foreign Assistance Act.

Some of the most notable items in the FAS report include the following:

The top five importers of defense products and services through the FMS program in 2008 were (largest-to-smallest in dollar value):

  • Israel
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Korea
  • Egypt
  • Poland

Except for Poland, these countries routinely appear on the top-five list of importers in most years. Poland cracked the top five when it agreed to purchase 48 F-16 fighter jets in 2002 and deliveries continued through 2008.

The countries experiencing the largest jumps in FMS deliveries in 2008 were as follows:

  • South Korea
  • Canada
  • Iraq
  • Turkey
  • Pakistan

"The increases in exports to Iraq and Pakistan are particularly noteworthy given that U.S. arms exports to both countries were banned less than a decade ago," Schroeder said, citing the lifting of the ban on arms transfers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent attempt to stabilize a pro-U.S. Iraqi army.

"If recent arms sales notifications to Congress are at all indicative of future growth trends, Iraq is likely to continue to rank among the largest recipients of U.S. arms for the foreseeable future," wrote Schroeder.