Outperforming Russia To China, The United States Has Become The World's Largest Arms Exporter In The Last 5 Years

Patriot Missile Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons / US Army)

JAKARTA - The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its report, Monday, March 15, 2021, said that the United States is still the largest exporter of global weapons.

SIPRI said that more than a third of global weapons traded around the world in the last five years came from the United States.

This is said to further strengthen the position of the United States as the top arms seller in the world. Several companies engaged in the defense and security industry are known to be based in the United States.

"The US contributed 37 percent of global arms sales during the 2016-2020 period and sold weapons to 96 countries. Half of its sales went to the Middle East", said SIPRI, launching the South China Morning Post.

When compared with sales for the previous five-year period, 2011-2015, global arms transfer volumes for the most recent period were basically flat, the SIPRI statement continued.

Russia, the world's second-largest exporter, accounts for a fifth of global arms shipments. However, Russian sales fell 22 percent compared to the 2011-2015 period, mainly due to the sizeable drop in Indian imports.

France is the third-largest exporter, with 8 percent, and noted several major deals with, among others, India, Egypt, and Qatar, the agency said. Germany and China complete the list of the top five exporters.

In contrast, Saudi Arabia was the world's largest arms importer during the period, accounting for 11 percent of global arms imports. Rounding out the top five positions in the world's largest arms importers are India, Egypt, Australia, and China respectively behind Saudi Arabia.

To note, the SIPRI arms transfer database does not include small arms and is based on public sources ranging from national and regional newspapers to specialized international journals, as well as government and industry reports.

Missiles are one of the most widely exported weapons by the United States. For example, the Patriot MIM-104 Missile Defense System. One of the weapons commodities belonging to the United States which is selling well is in great demand and is exported to European and Middle Eastern countries, including allies of Uncle Sam's country.