U.S.

U.S. Dominates World Arms Sales

August 21, 2001 / 9:53 AM EDT / AP

The United States dominated the world arms trade in 2000 and probably will remain the leading supplier of weapons to the developing countries in the near future, a new report says.

Developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa agreed to buy about $25.4 billion in weapons last year, almost half from the United States, said the Congressional Research Service report, “Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1993-2000.”

Russia and France ranked second and third as suppliers, accounting together for about one-third of all such sales. They aren't close to knocking the United States from its leading gun merchant role, said the report, which was made available Monday.

“As the 21st century begins, the United States seems best positioned to lead in new arms agreements with developing nations,” the report said. It was written by Richard F. Grimmett, a specialist in national defense at the research service, an arm of the Library of Congress.

While the United States sells big-ticket items like fighter jets, it also receives significant money by providing parts and ammunition to support weapons systems it sold those countries years ago, the report said.

The $25.4 billion figure, the highest since 1994, accounted for two-thirds of the $36.9 billion in international military arms purchases in 2000. Overall, the value of international weapons sales rose again last year by almost 9 percent, but the totals remain below those during the Gulf War period, the report said.

The report noted that because of worldwide economic problems and cash-strapped governments, “The overall level of the arms trade with developing nations is likely to remain generally static for the foreseeable future.”

The leading new buyers in the developing world last year were the United Arab Emirates, which bought 80 U.S. F-16 fighters for $6.4 billion, followed by India, which bought T-90 tanks and Su-30 fighter-bombers from Russia. South Korea was third.

Besides new arms-sales agreements, the report also tracks weapons deliveries — the value of weapons, sold in previous agreements, that have reached the purchasers.

Again, the United States led in 2000, with $8.7 billion worth of weapons provided to developing countries. The Britain and Russia placed second and third.

The leading recipients of completed weapons from the older contracts were Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt, Taiwan and Israel.

The total value of deliveries was down in 2000, reflecting reduced arms buys during the Asian financial crisis and cheap oil prices in the late 1990s.

Over the last eight years, however, countries in the tense but wealthy Middle East — including Israel, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia

have led the world in weapons purchases, receiving armaments worth more than $106 billion during that time.

Asian countries — including China, India, Pakistan and South Korea — have received more than $61 billion worth. Lati American countries have received $8.5 billion in arms and African nations $6.5 billion. The United States has been the leading supplier to every region except Africa.

The report focused on big-ticket sales, such as combat aircraft, warships, tanks and missiles. Fighter and fighter-bomber sales played a significant role in the figures, Grimmett said.

“Aerospace sales have obviously dominated the overall totals recently,” he said. “Those are very expensive systems.”

While the U.S. sells its weapons widely, Russia sells predominantly to China and India, traditional foes. But the report noted that cash-strapped Russia plans to sell advanced weaponry again to Iran, which it has not done since 1995. It predicted Russia also will pursue major weapons deals with Iraq, should sanctions be lifted.

China, meanwhile, is a heavy buyer and moderate seller of weaponry, the report says. It said Beijing averages less than $1 billion in sales a year, much of them to Pakistan, and most of its purchases are from Russia.

China also may be transferring long-range ballistic missile technology to Pakistan, Iran and North Korea, the report said. That would bring in hard currency but would present “an important obstacle to stem proliferation of advanced missile systems,” the report said.