USA - #1 arms dealer

Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations,


2004-2011

Richard F. Grimmett

Specialist in International Security

Paul K. Kerr
Analyst in Nonproliferation
Congressional Research Service

August 24, 2012

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/R42678.pdf [Go to this link to see the full report.]

Summary

This report is prepared annually to provide Congress
with official, unclassified, quantitative data on
conventional arms transfers to developing nations by the
United States and foreign countries for the preceding
eight calendar years for use in its policy oversight
functions. All agreement and delivery data in this
report for the United States are government-to-
government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) transactions.

Similar data are provided on worldwide conventional arms



transfers by all suppliers, but the principal focus is



the level of arms transfers by major weapons suppliers



to nations in the developing world.







Developing nations continue to be the primary focus of



foreign arms sales activity by weapons suppliers. During



the years 2004-2011, the value of arms transfer



agreements with developing nations comprised 68.6% of



all such agreements worldwide. More recently, arms



transfer agreements with developing nations constituted



79.2% of all such agreements globally from 2008-2011,



and 83.9% of these agreements in 2011.







The value of all arms transfer agreements with



developing nations in 2011 was over $71.5 billion. This



was a substantial increase from $32.7 billion in 2010.



In 2011, the value of all arms deliveries to developing



nations was $28 billion, the highest total in these



deliveries values since 2004.







Recently, from 2008 to 2011, the United States and



Russia have dominated the arms market in the developing



world, with both nations either ranking first or second



for each of these four years in the value of arms



transfer agreements. From 2008 to 2011, the United



States made nearly $113 billion in such agreements,



54.5% of all these agreements (expressed in current



dollars). Russia made $31.1 billion, 15% of these



agreements. During this same period, collectively, the



United States and Russia made 69.5% of all arms transfer



agreements with developing nations, ($207.3 billion in



current dollars) during this four-year period.







In 2011, the United States ranked first in arms transfer



agreements with developing nations with over $56.3



billion or 78.7% of these agreements, an extraordinary



increase in market share from 2010, when the United



States held a 43.6% market share. In second place was



Russia with $4.1 billion or 5.7% of such agreements.







In 2011, the United States ranked first in the value of



arms deliveries to developing nations at $10.5 billion,



or 37.6% of all such deliveries. Russia ranked second in



these deliveries at $7.5 billion or 26.8%.







In worldwide arms transfer agreements in 2011-to both



developed and developing nations-the United States



dominated, ranking first with $66.3 billion in such



agreements or 77.7% of all such agreements. This is the



highest single year agreements total in the history of



the U.S. arms export program. Russia ranked second in



worldwide arms transfer agreements in 2011with $4.8



billion in such global agreements or 5.6%. The value of



all arms transfer agreements worldwide in 2011 was $85.3



billion, a substantial increase over the 2010 total of



$44.5 billion, and the highest worldwide arms agreements



total since 2004.







In 2011, Saudi Arabia ranked first in the value of arms
transfer agreements among all developing nations weapons
purchasers, concluding $33.7 billion in such agreements.

The Saudis concluded $33.4 billion of these agreements
with the United States (99%). India ranked second with
$6.9 billion in such agreements. The United Arab
Emirates (U.A.E) ranked third with $4.5 billion.







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