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Proposed U.S. Arms Sales Reach New Heights
Notifications of potential arms sales presented to Congress in 2010 spiked to $102.5 billion, four times higher than the 10-year average from 2000 to 2009 and surpassing the previous record of $75 billion proposed in 2008. (See ACT, March 2009.) Sales to Middle Eastern states represented more than three-quarters of the notifications.
These foreign military sales notification figures do not represent actual deliveries.
By law, Congress is notified when the Department of Defense proposes government-to-government sales of major defense items, articles, and services, as well as construction and design projects if the values of those sales reach minimum thresholds. Once notified, Congress has either 15 or 30 days, depending on whether the recipient is on a shortlist of preferred states subject to less-stringent congressional notification requirements, to block a sale by joint resolution of disapproval. No sales ever have been blocked by this method. Congress also can pass legislation to stop or modify sales at any time up to the point of delivery.
The 2010 total includes a $60.1 billion proposed arms transfer to
Elsewhere within the region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also sought significant arms sales, with a potential purchase of 60 Apache Longbows and other items worth up to $5.4 billion. For four years in a row, the UAE has been among the five largest proposed recipients of military sales, with the total value of requests being $28.2 billion since 2007. In 2008, notifications for the UAE included the first potential foreign sale of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system, for which a final contract may be signed later this year.
In 2010, notifications of potential sales to
Potential sales to
A diplomatic controversy erupted in February after a package of helicopters and Patriot missiles to be shipped to
Notifications of several large military sales to