US dominates arms trade as Asia, Mid-East boost imports

The global transfer of major arms has risen in recent years, with the United States increasing its dominance of the trade while the flow of weaponry to Africa, Asia and the Middle East has increased, a new study published Feb. 22 showed.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, the volume of international transfers of major weapons - including sales and donations - was 14 percent higher in 2011-2015 than over the five previous years, with the U.S. and Russia doing most of the exporting.

The biggest importers were India, Saudi Arabia, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The authors of the report singled out the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is backing the government against Iran-supported Shiite Houthi rebels.

"A coalition of Arab states is putting mainly U.S.- and European-sourced advanced arms into use in Yemen," senior SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman said in the report.

The United States has sold or donated major arms to a diverse range of recipients across the globe, the report said.

"As regional conflicts and tensions continue to mount, the USA remains the leading global arms supplier by a significant margin," said Aude Fleurant, director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

"The USA has sold or donated major arms to at least 96 states in the past five years, and the U.S. arms industry has large outstanding export orders," including for over 600 F-35 combat aircraft, said Fleurant.

The biggest chunk of U.S. major arms, 41 percent, went into Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East.
"Despite low oil prices, large deliveries of arms to the Middle East are scheduled to continue as part of contracts signed in...