The United States saw its arms sales tumble to its lowest level since 2005, according to a new study released by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS).
The CRS, a division of the Library of Congress, noted that the U.S. won $22.6 billion in arms deals in 2009, taking 39% of the worldwide share, according to an article in The New York Times, which received an advanced copy of the report. That is a sharp decline, however, from the $38.1 billion sold in 2008.
Some of the interesting points the Times gleaned from the report are as follows:
- Russia was a distant second in worldwide arms sales with $10.4 billion, and France followed with $7.4 billion.
- Total arms deals in 2009 were $57.5 billion, an 8.5% drop from 2008.
- The decline in U.S. weapons sales in 2009 coincided with a lull in major orders from Middle Eastern and Asian clients because those regional powers had bulked up the year before.
- The global recession slowed worldwide sales but did not halt the military modernization program. Many countries chose to focus on completing system integration with the weaponry they had already bought.
- Traditional arms sellers competed for traditional customers and sought out new buyers from emerging markets.
- Sales to developing nations still dipped, however, to $45.1 billion in 2009 from $48.8 billion in 2008.
- Brazil was the top buyer in the developing world, inking deals worth $7.2 billion. Venezuela and Saudi Arabia followed with $6.4 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively.
