According to the latest report released by the United States***, in 2023, the sales of military equipment in the United States to foreign countries increased by 16% to $238 billion, reaching a record high.
There are two main ways for the United States to sell arms to foreign countries: one is the direct commercial sales of US industrial enterprises, and the other is the arms sales transactions facilitated by the United States through the embassies of the target countries.
According to the latest report, both methods were "effective" last year: the foreign direct arms sales of US industrial enterprises increased from $153.6 billion in 2022 to $157.5 billion in 2023; Arms sales brokered by the United States have also increased from $51.9 billion to $80.9 billion.
Screenshot of the Reuters report.
They turn a crisis into a business opportunity."
First of all, it must be said that the "Russian threat" created by the United States has played a big role.
After the full-scale escalation of the Ukraine crisis, Western countries followed the United States to continue military aid to Ukraine, but on the other hand, they had to continue to replenish their own ** stocks that were becoming increasingly empty because of aid to Ukraine, in preparation for a "potential major conflict".
And these "sources" have to count on the United States, the Western alliance with super military industrial strength.
In the words of the United States, sales are seen as "an important foreign policy tool of the United States with potential long-term implications for regional and global security."
For example, foreign arms sales approved in 2023 include $10 billion worth of "Hippocampus" rocket launchers produced by Lockheed Martin, the largest arms dealer in the United States, to Poland**, and $2.9 billion worth of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles produced by Raytheon, the fourth largest arms dealer in the United States, to Germany**.
Screenshot of the Reuters report.
Treating arms sales as an important foreign policy tool of the United States naturally means the military-industrial complex, the number one political and business interest group in the United States.
So far, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began on February 24, 2022, has been delayed for nearly two years, and the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which began on October 7 last year, has also lasted for nearly four months.
The biggest factor that led to the protracted protracted conflict between the two countries was undoubtedly the US-led sword-throwing fire. And behind this, in addition to the inherent calculations of weakening Russia and favoring Israel, satisfying the interests of the military-industrial complex has become the biggest "political correctness" of American politicians.
With the continuous escalation of the crisis caused by the continuous arch fire, the orders of the American fire dealers have increased significantly, and they have made a lot of money.
The host of India's "One World" news channel pointed out in the program that the United States is home to the world's top five arms dealers, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and General Dynamics, and dominates the international arms market.
According to a report by Reuters, the newly released 2023 arms sales data of the United States further supported the outside world's expectations for the sales growth of the American industrial giants. Against the backdrop of heightened global instability, the share prices of these companies are expected to go further**.
Companies such as Lockheed Martin expect that existing orders such as hundreds of thousands of artillery shells and hundreds of Patriot missiles brought by the Russia-Ukraine and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, coupled with a surge in orders for armored vehicles in the coming period, will be a strong guarantee for their impressive performance in the coming quarters.
Screenshot of the Reuters report.
Some Europeans have bluntly stated that the US-industry complex has exploited fear from the beginning to position itself as an important partner that can provide security, but in fact it has "turned the crisis into a lucrative business opportunity".
Screenshot of the report of the European Observer" news network.
Just "supply" and "after-sales"?
The conflict does not stop, and the art complex is naturally happy. But whether a large number of the ** that were sold were used in the places that the United States wanted, no one seems to really care.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many countries, institutions, and even relevant international organizations, including the United States, have warned countless times that a considerable part of the large amount of US and Western aid to Ukraine may have flowed into the black market.
Just this month, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense also released a new audit report saying that about sixty percent of the equipment that should be subject to end-use verification is in an "untraceable" state, involving nearly 40,000 pieces of equipment worth more than $1 billion.
Screenshot of the Washington Post report.
The United States' practice of only "supplying" and ignoring "after-sales" has made the world worry that once these arms flow outside Ukraine or even are obtained by terrorist organizations, it will bring huge hidden dangers to regional security.
The UN Security Council has even held several public meetings on the issue of the diaspora in the Ukrainian crisis. However, the mystery of the whereabouts of US aid has not yet been solved.
Biden's feigned deafness on this issue not only gives congressional Republicans a powerful excuse to stop military aid to Ukraine, but also makes "their own people" in the whirlpool of partisan disputes have to make certain gestures.
The bicameral coalition of nearly 20 Democrats sent a letter to the United States on the 29th of this month, asking Secretary of State Blinken to provide specific information and give an "official explanation" on Biden's decision to bypass Congress and sell "urgent" arms to Israel last month.
The letter said Congress must be able to monitor the transfer of ** or whether it is "consistent with humanitarian principles and U.S. law" and "whether it is harmful to the United States."
Screenshot of the report of the US "Capitol Hill".
However, don't be naïve enough to think that there is some "incarnation of justice" in the U.S. Congress.
Don't believe it, look at what they just did:
On the 16th of this month, the US Senate rejected a bill proposed by independent Senator Bernie Sanders to link US military aid to Israel to Israel's human rights record. If the bill is passed, the United States should submit to Congress within 30 days a report on whether Israeli forces have violated human rights in the Gaza Strip, which may affect US military aid to Israel.
The rejection of Sanders' bill means that US lawmakers will not risk cutting off military aid to make any trouble for Israel, a "special ally."
Screenshot of the Associated Press report (pictured is Bernie Sanders).
In fact, even Biden's aid to Ukraine in the new fiscal year, which has been blocked by Congress, is just a political bargaining chip for the Republican hardliners to blackmail the White House and Democrats into concessions on other issues.
As long as it meets the requirements of the interests of the military-industrial complex, no one believes that the US Congress will really completely "cut off supplies" to Ukraine.
In order to convince Republican lawmakers that military aid to Ukraine is beneficial to all members of Congress representing constituencies across the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the truth last month: 90% of U.S. aid funds for Ukraine are actually used to produce Ukrainian equipment at home, which will create more jobs in the United States and benefit the U.S. economy.
Screenshot of the Interfax-Ukraine report **.
In this regard, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently pointed out at the latest UN Security Council public meeting on the issue of the Ukrainian diaspora that the key factor hindering the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is the continuous support of the United States and the West for Ukraine.
The United States has essentially seen Ukraine as some kind of profitable business project, not a war that has already claimed countless lives. ”
Screenshot of the TASS report.
Material**丨Global Information Broadcasting "Global Deep Observation".
Planner丨Wang Jian.
Reporter丨Du Huiqin.
Editor丨Yang Nan.
Signing丨Wang Jian.
Producer丨Guan Juanjuan.