Bloomberg Government:
European countries were the top customers for proposed foreign arms sales by U.S. defense companies in fiscal 2018, according to the latest update of Bloomberg Government’s Foreign Military Sales Dashboard. The 2018 FMS notifications — representing a total of almost $70 billion in sales — don’t represent deals that have closed, just intended purchases by foreign nations.
In fiscal 2018 Congress was notified of about $37.4 billion in sales to European countries. The next-biggest region, with $22.1 billion, was the Middle East, which was the top destination in fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016. In fiscal 2015, the Asia-Pacific region held the top slot.
U.S. defense contractors closed foreign arms deals worth $55.6 billion in fiscal 2018, according to the head of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper.
President Donald Trump’s pressure on NATO members to spend more on defense, combined with regional fears of Russian aggression, may have contributed to Europe’s 2018 shopping spree.
