Defense News:
WASHINGTON ― In an era where the American president wants allies to Buy American, two of America’s closest friends in Asia have proven to be loyal customers.
As U.S. President Donald Trump sat down with South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the White House on Tuesday, a new pair of fact sheets released by the U.S. State Department have laid out how much both Seoul and Tokyo are spending on American defense equipment.
From 2000-2017, South Korea contracted roughly $26 billion in Foreign Military Sales from American firms. Under the FMS process, the U.S. government acts as a go-between for the foreign customer and the American defense industrial partner, taking a small fee for its troubles.
In the wake of North Korea’s sixth nuclear weapons test, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to increase weapon sales to Japan and South Korea. But half of that total has come in just the last four years, during which the Korean military purchased more than $13 billion in defense articles, training and services.
