By: Dan Mahanty and Rachel Stohl
“Buy America” will reportedly soon apply to arms sales in a bigger way, as the Trump administration orders U.S. diplomats to do more to drum up business for American arms manufacturers. But efforts to boost the outgoing flow of weapons should be accompanied by smarter ways to ensure that rising sales do not undermine American security.
The sale and transfer of American–made weapons has been an enduring feature of U.S. diplomacy for decades, as well as a lucrative boost to the U.S. economy. In the past five years, U.S.firms have captured about 33 percent of the global arms export market, according to data from SIPRI. In 2016, the United States government authorized the export of arms worth about $60 billion.
Read the rest at: If We’re Going to Export More US Arms, Let’s Do It Smarter
