America Is Leading the Global Arms Trade, but at What Cost?

For decades, America’s war-profiteering companies have pocketed billions of dollars by selling weapons that directly fuel ethnic cleansings and genocides globally. The United States is home to four of the five largest private arms companies in the world: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, and Raytheon. These firms, which make up most of the country’s arms sales and profits, promote warfare by capitalizing on conflict. The U.S. accounts for more than 40% of the planet’s weapons exports. $100 to $200 billion U.S. dollars are pocketed in arms sales each year, and that number is gradually increasing year over year.

Amid the humanitarian crisis and genocide going on in Gaza right now, the U.S. is promoting the sale of American ammunition to Israel while ignoring international calls for a cease-fire. In December alone, President Biden approved two of the largest arms sales ever issued, one worth $106 million and another worth $147.5 million. It is imperative that we examine who is profiting from these deals and who is bearing the cost.

Advocates of weapons manufacturing often portray the arms industry as the savior of democracy that prioritizes global security. This industry, however, has an extensive network of lobbyists and experts who spend millions of dollars each year to strengthen their business interests, influence defense policies, and sanitize their brand images. In the past two decades, the weapons industry has spent $2.5 billion dollars lobbying across the Pentagon, Congress, the State Department, and the White House, while donating millions to candidates across various political parties. With this concentrated lobbying power, these companies have expanded U.S. weapons sales to as many international clients as possible—without much regulation.

When it comes to America’s international arms trade policy, the need for transparency and regulation is more dire now than ever. Anti-war activists have accused Boeing of being responsible for multiple human rights violations: in 2016, Boeing’s bombs were used to kill 107 Yemenis in a marketplace, precision-guided missiles made by Boeing have been used on Palestinians for years, its fighter jets are sold to the Indian army that is occupying and colonizing Kashmir, and the list goes on. The U.S. claims it has checks and balances, such as the Leahy Law, which is in place to stop foreign countries from using American weapons to commit war crimes. However, despite this law, the U.S. actively approves arms deals even when there is evidence of war crimes. To rectify this, before arms sales are processed, suppliers must assess associated risks, including whether or not the weapons might be used to commit war crimes.

In addition to promoting warfare globally, America’s arms companies consume millions of tax dollars each year to make weapons. These taxpayer dollars could instead go toward funding pressing issues across low-income communities in the country. Returning to the Boeing example, in 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel shut down 50% of Chicago’s mental health clinics and instead invested $1.3 million tax dollars into Boeing’s headquarters in Chicago. Weapons manufacturing companies work hand in hand with the U.S. government as the Pentagon’s largest contractors while marketing themselves as commercial firms that promote economic growth within communities. In reality, most of Boeing’s revenue comes from making and selling missiles, bombs, and other weapons of mass destruction. It is crucial for cities across the country to stop investing in war and reallocate funding to life-improving programs for their constituents.

Spending on arms deals internationally is also not as beneficial to the U.S. economy as previously assumed by analysts. The executives at companies like Boeing continue to push the agenda that their company invests in jobs and innovative technology. However, the number of jobs associated with weapons sales is significantly overstated. According to the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington-based think-tank, spending on defense produces 40% fewer jobs than spending on infrastructure and clean energy.

The public can use their voices to push local administration to divest from war and redirect resources back into local communities. People can join anti-war organizations, local protests (such as the ones organized by Pal Action), community organizing spaces, and divestment campaigns in cities (such as BoeingArmsGenocide) and universities. At the University of Chicago, UChicago United and UChicago Divest are student organizations working towards these goals of disarmament and divestment.

Right now in Gaza, Boeing’s American-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) are being used by Israel to execute deadly airstrikes that wipe out homes, hospitals, and schools. On October 10, 2023, two JDAM bombs killed 43 Palestinians. As the bombardment of Gaza continues, there is mounting evidence that U.S.-made weapons are being used to kill and suppress people.

It is critical that the United States stop manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. While that fight will not be an easy one to win immediately, the U.S. must at least install effective risk assessments to evaluate foreign governments’ human rights standings for all international commercial and government-to-government arms deals. The more the U.S. continues to spend money on exporting weapons, the less it can spend on improving communities within its own country.

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N/A. “Policy Basics: Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 28 July 2022, www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go.

Sierra, Gabrielle. “The Cost of the U.S. Arms Trade.” Council on Foreign Relations, 26 Oct. 2022, https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/cost-us-arms-trade.

Yang, Maya. “US Has Increased Arms Sales Abroad despite Biden Election Pledge.” The Guardian, 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/20/us-arms-sales-weapons-biden-election-pledge.