US arms exports soar in 2022 amid security crisis in Europe: State Department

By Rabia Iclal Turan and Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US military sales to foreign countries soared 49.1 % to nearly $205.6 billion in 2022 amid Europe’s security crisis following the Russian war against Ukraine, officials said Wednesday.

US foreign military sales hit $51.9 billion in fiscal year 2022, up from $34.8 billion the previous year, the State Department said in a statement. Authorized direct commercial sales of military hardware, services and technical data accounted for an additional $153.7 billion.

Sales are negotiated directly between a government and the arms manufacturer, as opposed to foreign military sales, which are run through the administration via the Defense Security Cooperation Agency with final approval coming from the State Department.

Both types of sales require government approval, though the former is considered more flexible, according to the National Defense Industrial Association, a defense industry trade association.

Among arms sales notified to Congress by the State Department in 2022 were a $13.9 billion F-15ID Aircraft sales to Indonesia, a $6.9 billion Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ship to Greece, a $6.0 billion M1A2 SEPV3 Main Battle Tank sale to Poland, a $3.05 billion Patriot Missile air defense system sale to Saudi Arabia and a $1.3 billion sale of aircraft carrier equipment to France.